A veto-proof majority of the Minneapolis City Council has vowed to dismantle the city’s police department.
Nine out of 12 members of the council, which voted Friday to ban police from using chokeholds or any form of neck restraints, signed a pledge on Sunday to begin the process of disbanding the police department as it currently exists. In its place, the council members propose that the city create a new system for public safety.
While it’s unclear what exactly such a model will look like, the members promised to work with the community on making the changes and adopting them in the coming weeks through budget and policy actions. They also said they would draw on past studies and policing reforms around the world to help develop their plans.
“We’re here because we hear you. We are here today because George Floyd was killed by the Minneapolis Police. We are here because here in Minneapolis and in cities across the United States it is clear that our existing system of policing and public safety is not keeping our communities safe,” Minneapolis City Council President Lisa Bender, who previously teased the move, said. “Our efforts at incremental reform have failed. Period.”
The death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, after a white Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes, sparked protests against police brutality and systemic racism across the world.
In addition to calls to dismantle police departments, many demonstrators have proposed defunding police departments and diverting money to other social services and programs. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey was jeered by protesters in the city on Saturday after saying he wouldn’t commit to defunding or abolishing the police.
