Minneapolis City Council to Defund Police Department

There is a dangerous movement growing in America to “defund the police” following the killing of George Floyd.

Nowhere is that call louder than Minneapolis, where elected officials have already agreed to replace the police department with a new system of public safety.

“Decades of police reform efforts have proved that the Minneapolis Police Department cannot be reformed and will never be accountable for its actions,” said the Minneapolis City Council on Sunday. “We are here today to begin the process of ending the Minneapolis Police Department and creating a new, transformative model for cultivating safety in Minneapolis.”

The idea is backed by nine of the Council’s thirteen members, meaning it cannot be vetoed by the mayor.

“I think the idea of having a police-free future is very aspirational, and I am willing to stand with our community members who are asking us to think of that as the goal,” said City Council President Lisa Bender. “I have heard a lot of comments from people, from my neighbors, and it comes from a place of privilege for those of us for whom the system is working…I want them to step back and imagine what it would feel like to already live in that reality where calling the police means more harm is done.”

Earlier last week, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and the City Council approved a tentative agreement that bans police from using chokeholds and increases the requirements for officers to intervene when a colleague uses inappropriate force.

Speaking to a crowd of protestors outside his house on Saturday, Mayor Frey said he does not support the full abolition of the MPD. “People continue to require service in many forms from our public safety offices, whether in times of domestic violence, or assistance in some of the most dire conditions.”

Moving forward, the Council will move to demilitarize the MPD and start redirecting some of the police budget. The council has one year to put forward a public safety alternative that will replace the MPD.

While not as extreme as Minneapolis, officials in several major cities have responded to George Floyd’s death by reducing police budgets.

Last week, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said the city would redirect up to $150 million from its annual police budget of nearly $2 billion to black communities. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has also agreed to cut some funding from police and redirect it to “youth initiatives and social services.”

Author’s Note: The fact that elected officials are even considering a “police-free society” is shocking and dangerous. If this movement gains a foothold America will descend into anarchy and chaos.