The Minneapolis City Council unanimously passed a resolution Friday to pursue replacing the city’s police department with a new community-led public safety system.
The decision comes after George Floyd died at the hands of police last month, which sparked a national uprising against racial injustice and police brutality.
“The murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, by Minneapolis police officers is a tragedy that shows that no amount of reforms will prevent lethal violence and abuse by some members of the Police Department against members of our community, especially black people and people of color,” five council members wrote in the resolution, according to Reuters.
More than a dozen Minneapolis police officers published an open letter condemning the actions of former officer Derek Chauvin, who is responsible for Floyd’s death. Chauvin was charged with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, and three other officers, J. Alexander Keung, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao, were charged with aiding and abetting.
The officers also wrote in the letter their support for police reforms.
The council will begin a yearlong process of engaging “with every willing community member in Minneapolis” to come up with a new public safety model. The council also commissioned a new work group to provide recommendations by July 24 on how to engage with community stakeholders to transform the current system.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said he supported “massive structural reform to revise a structurally racist system” but stopped short of saying he would vow to abolish the police department amid growing calls to do so.
