The Minneapolis City Council is holding an emergency meeting to “dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department and replace it with a transformative new model of public safety.”
The emergency meeting comes after nearly 2 weeks of civil unrest and looting in south Minneapolis and surrounding areas in response to the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died in Minneapolis police custody.
Four police officers are in jail awaiting trial on murder charges in connection with Floyd’s death.
On Thursday, City Council member Jeremiah Ellison tweeted: “We are going to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department. And when we’re done, we’re not simply gonna glue it back together. We are going to dramatically rethink how we approach public safety and emergency response. It’s really past due.”
City Council member Lisa Bender added: “Yes. We are going to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department and replace it with a transformative new model of public safety.”
The emergency meeting began at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, June 5. City Council members are set to vote on immediate changes to the police force including removing the police force and replacing it with a community-based, non-violent neighborhood watch group.
The City Council on Friday voted to ban police choke holds. Police officers are required to intervene when they observe inappropriate use of force being used on a suspect.
We are going to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department.
And when we’re done, we’re not simply gonna glue it back together.
We are going to dramatically rethink how we approach public safety and emergency response.
It’s really past due. https://t.co/7WIxUL6W79
— Jeremiah Ellison (@jeremiah4north) June 4, 2020
Yes. We are going to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department and replace it with a transformative new model of public safety. https://t.co/FCfjoPy64k
— Lisa Bender (@lisabendermpls) June 4, 2020
