The Minneapolis City Council unanimously approved that six influencers be paid on social media to approve messages and updates by the city through the upcoming murder trial of former official Derek Chauvin, who was charged in the death of George Floyd. The council on Friday approved $ 1,181,500 for communication with the community during the trial, CBS Minnesota reported.
The city says social media partners will help dispel potential misinformation, and that the influencers will deliberately target the Black, Indian, Somali, Hmong and Latinx communities with their messages. Each influencer will be paid $ 2,000.
The goal is to “increase access to information for communities that typically do not follow mainstream news sources or city communication channels and / or that do not consume information in English,” the Minneapolis City Council said in a statement. “It is also an opportunity to create more two-way communication between the city and communities.”
The city council has not yet determined how they will choose the influencers, but said the choices will be based on recommendations from the city district and community relations.
Some activists and legal experts are concerned about the decision.
Toussaint Morrison, an activist with more than 11,000 users on Instagram, uses his platform to educate the community. He worries about prejudice behind information coming from a city-funded influencer.
“The key word here is ‘approved by the city,'” Morrison said. “What do you think the message is going to be? It’s probably going to be city. It’s going to be against protest.”
Sarah Davis, executive director of the Legal Rights Center in Minneapolis, said this decision by the council sends a clear message.
“It really reflects that they know there is a lack of trust between community and city institutions and that’s real. Let’s be honest about it, it really is,” Davis said.
Her firm plans to offer legal expertise and questions and answers during the trial.
“What we’re really trying to do is help people understand what they’re going to see, and answer questions about it,” Davis said.
The city council plans to discuss more details about the new positions in a public online briefing on Monday at 10:00
Floyd’s death last year sparked outrage and a spate of unrest in Minneapolis and nationwide, with violence and looting seen in some cities. Many protested peacefully.