Minneapolis City Council votes to replace current policing system with ‘transformative new model’ in wake of George Floyd protests
Minneapolis has officially voted to abolish the existing policing system in favor of a ‘public safety’ model. Hailed as transformative in the wake of protests, the suggestion is still vague on details.
A resolution jointly co-authored unanimously approved by all 12 city council members acknowledged that “no amount of reforms will prevent lethal violence and abuse by some members of the Police Department,” thus virtually declaring the police itself unreformable. It went on to declare the council’s intent to create a new “transformative” model of public safety through “community engagement, research, and structural change.”
Yet, the document itself was conspicuously scant on any specific proposals on how this goal could be achieved. Instead, it said that the council will start a year-long transformation process and will create a ‘Future of Community Safety Work Group’ tasked with drafting “preliminary recommendations for engaging with specific cultural and stakeholder groups, the community at large and relevant experts” to address the issue.
The group consisting of members of various local government structures like the Office of Violence Prevention, the Department of Civil Rights and the City Coordinator’s Office is expected to present its proposals to the council by July 24.
The authorities also vowed to “engage with every willing community member in Minneapolis, centering the voices of black people, American Indian people, people of color, immigrants, victims of harm, and other stakeholders who have been historically marginalized or under-served by our present system.”
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