Minneapolis voters won’t choose this year whether to dismantle their police department after the Charter Commission yesterday blocked the possibility.
The Commission voted 10-5 on Wednesday evening to delay the decision by 90 days, past the November ballot’s cutoff date.
A majority of Commission members expressed concern the process was rushed in response to the death of George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis police on May 25.
The City Council submitted a proposal to replace city police with a new Department of Community Safety and Violence Prevention.
The Commission possessed four options: to accept the amendment, to reject it, to offer a substitute amendment, or to take 90 days to review the amendment.
Commissioner Peter Ginder supported taking additional time, saying the amendment wasn’t formed transparently or with significant community engagement.
“I think both the City Council and the Charter Commission need to do their respective jobs to study this issue,” Ginder said. “And if our goal is to transform a failed system and a failed department, let’s do it thoughtfully and create a system that has the greatest likelihood of being a successful new paradigm for public safety.”
Commissioner Matt Perry recommended the city attorney analyze the amendment to answer looming, expensive questions.
“What public safety functions must be performed by a duly trained and licensed officer?,” Perry asked. “And is there an increased liability potential for signing responsibilities to non sworn personnel?”
Commissioner Toni Newborn said the current system was “unfair, inequitable, and unsafe for the entire community.”
“I do want to see change happen swiftly,” Newborn said, adding she wants to call the police when she hears gunshots in Ward 6, but fears officers will harass or harm her husband, who is Black.
Commissioner Al Giraud-Issaacson opposed the additional 90-day review period.
Giraud-Issaacson supported rejecting the amendment because he said the creators of the amendment weren’t inclusive enough.
If the Commission voted to outright approve or reject the proposal, voters would have likely chosen in November.
The City Council isn’t constrained by the Commission’s recommendation but must receive its final decision before further action.
Commissioner Gregory Abbott said holding the vote in 2021 would give the Commission more time to discover the proposal’s deeper ramifications.
“The City Council’s charter proposal represents the most sweeping and radical charter change in living memory,” Abbott said. “It deserves much more scrutiny and discussion than we can give it in a mere 35 days. Quick action on a flawed charter amendment will not produce immediate benefits and could have long term unintended consequences.”
Others were critical of how quickly the amendment was drafted.
“Is it fully baked? No, it is not. This amendment was literally written on a Wednesday and passed on a Friday,” Charter Chair Barry Clegg said.
Clegg said the change should be studied for months.
“The council says ‘Trust us. We’ll figure it out after this is approved. Trust us.’ Well, I don’t, and we shouldn’t,” Clegg said. “Charter change is too important for that.”
Minneapolis City Council President Lisa Bender tweeted in response to the action:
“The Charter Commission chose to ignore and undermine years of work to change public safety in Minneapolis – but that work will continue.”
