Violent carjackings shot up 537% in Minneapolis last month compared to data from last November as the city council continues to push defunding the police.
Minneapolis police have recorded more than 125 carjackings over the last two months, with much of the crime being attributed to groups of teenagers, the Star Tribune reported Wednesday.
“Within a one-hour period Saturday morning, police reported three separate carjackings in southeast Minneapolis, including one where an elderly woman was struck on the head. Such attacks are up 537% this month when compared with last November,” the Star Tribune reported.
Local police previously hadn’t tracked carjackings in the city until Sept. 22 of this year because they were so uncommon. After retroactively tracking the crime, officials found that at least 375 carjackings occurred this year, with 17 just last week. Overall, there have been three times more carjackings this year than in 2019.
“The numbers are staggering,” said police spokesman John Elder. “It defies all civility and any shred of common human decency.”
Law enforcement has advised citizens it is sometimes safer to hand over goods a thief seeks instead of resisting and risking their life.
“People need to know what their abilities are,” Elder said. “A 74-year-old woman trying to duke it out with two 18-year-olds is not a great idea.”
The report comes after the city has seen an increase in violent crimes, with more than 500 people shot this year, which breaks a 15-year record, yet the city council is still pushing to defund its police department.
In June, the Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously to dismantle the police department in favor of a “Department of Community Safety” after the death of George Floyd in police custody. More than 100 police officers have left the city’s force amid the anti-police sentiment this summer sparked by protests against perceived police brutality.
At the end of November, the city council announced a proposal to defund the police department by $8 million, shifting the funds to a mental health response unit.
“This will help us move toward a Police Department that is smaller and more focused on preventing and responding to violence, while other needs, like mental health and homelessness, are handled with the appropriate response or service,” said Council President Lisa Bender.
