The Minneapolis City Council on Friday unanimously approved a pledge to seek the replacement of its police department with a so-called community-led public safety system amid a pressure campaign spearheaded by Black Lives Matter activists and far-left Democrats to defund law enforcement in the wake of protests and riots over George Floyd’s death.
“The murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, by Minneapolis police officers is a tragedy that shows that no amount of reforms will prevent lethal violence and abuse by some members of the Police Department against members of our community, especially Black people and people of color,” the five city council members wrote in the resolution.
The vote follows a veto-proof majority of the council members voting to disband the department.
Last Thursday, Minneapolis City Council President Lisa Bender vowed that the council will “dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department and replace it with a transformative new model of public safety.” Minneapolis City Council member Jeremiah Ellison, son of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (D), echoed Bender’s sentiments.
“We are going to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department. And when we’re done, we’re not simply gonna glue it back together. We are going to dramatically rethink how we approach public safety and emergency response. It’s really past due,” Ellison stated.
The approval places the council at odds with progressive Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, (D) who voiced opposition to defunding the city’s police department during a recent Black Lives Matter protest, prompting demonstrators to boo him away.
Days after Floyd’s death, rioters set fire to a police precinct building in the Minneapolis neighborhood where Floyd died when he was restrained by fired Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.
Frey had ordered for the 3rd precinct building to evacuated, saying he was unwilling to endanger lives to protect it.
In addition to the precinct building being set ablaze, rioters torched various commercial and residential buildings and looted multiple stores.
On top of demands from Black Lives Matter, “Squad” members Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) have also called for police departments to be defunded.
“The Minneapolis Police Department has proven themselves beyond reform,” Omar wrote in a recent social media post. “It’s time to disband them and reimagine public safety in Minneapolis.”
Hours later, Ocasio-Cortez said in a congressional primary debate that she is “actively engaged in advocacy” for a “reduction of our NYPD budget and defunding a $6 billion NYPD budget that costs us books in the hands of our children and costs us very badly needed investment in NYCHA [New York City Housing Authority] and public housing.”
As Breitbart News reported: “Minneapolis suffers from high violent crime rates. In Minneapolis, every 8.15 residents per 1,000 is a violent crime victim. Compare that to the state of Minnesota overall, where only 2.2 residents per 1,000 become a violent crime victim.”
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