Democratic Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar called for the disbanding of the Minneapolis police department in a tweet on Friday.
“The Minneapolis Police Department has proven themselves beyond reform,” the tweet read. “It’s time to disband them and reimagine public safety in Minneapolis. Thank you to @MplsWard3 for your leadership on this!”
The Minneapolis Police Department has proven themselves beyond reform.
It’s time to disband them and reimagine public safety in Minneapolis.
Thank you to @MplsWard3 for your leadership on this! https://t.co/AQfHM5M6eR
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) June 5, 2020
The congresswoman tagged the account of Minneapolis City Council member Steve Fletcher, who has rallied the City Council to support disbanding the police department. The motion to defund the police has recently gained wide support, with a number of celebrities signing an online petition.
The movement began in connection with nationwide protests of the death of George Floyd, who died in Minneapolis after a police officer kneeled on his neck during an arrest.
“Several of us on the council are working on finding out, what it would take to disband the MPD and start fresh with a community-oriented, non-violent public safety and outreach capacity,” Fletcher said in a tweet Tuesday.
I don’t know yet, though several of us on the council are working on finding out, what it would take to disband the MPD and start fresh with a community-oriented, non-violent public safety and outreach capacity.
— Steve Fletcher – Minneapolis Ward 3 (@MplsWard3) June 2, 2020
“The whole world is watching, and we can declare policing as we know it a thing of the past, and create a compassionate, non-violent future,” he added. “It will be hard. But so is managing a dysfunctional relationship with an unaccountable armed force in our city.”
The Minneapolis Park Board made a unanimous decision Tuesday to cut ties with the Minneapolis Police Department.
Several other organizations, including the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis public schools, the Walker Art Center, and concert venue First Avenue have all announced that they will no longer work with the police department, according to a CityPages report.
Story cited here.
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