A veto-proof council majority says the city will move to a community-based public safety model – but what will that entail?
By Oliver Milman
Mon 8 Jun 2020
Nine members of Minneapolis city council have vowed to dismantle the city’s police department, which was responsible for the death of George Floyd, and replace it with a new community-based system of public safety.
acob Frey, the Minneapolis mayor, demurred when asked if he would abolish the police department – but the nine city council votes will be enough to override Frey’s veto.
Efforts to reform the police have not been sufficient, said Lisa Bender, the Minneapolis city council president.
She said: “Our commitment is to end policing as we know it and to recreate systems of public safety that actually keep us safe.”
Read more at https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/08/minneapolis-city-council-police-department-dismantle
Minneapolis lawmakers vow to disband police department in historic move
City council members declare intent to ‘abolish’ embattled agency and replace with alternative model in wake of George Floyd’s killing
By Sam Levin
The Minneapolis city council has pledged to disband the city’s police department and replace it with a new system of public safety, a historic move that comes as calls to defund law enforcement are sweeping the US.
Speaking at a community rally on Sunday, a veto-proof majority of council members declared their intent to “dismantle” and “abolish” the embattled police agency responsible for George Floyd’s death – and build an alternative model of community-led safety. The decision is a direct response to the massive protests that have taken over American cities in the last two weeks, and is a major victory for abolitionist activists who have long fought to disband police and prisons.
Read more at https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/07/minneapolis-city-council-defund-police-george-floyd
