Jubilee Post News & Views
#George Floyd’s death case
Special Desk
Majority of the Minneapolis City Council has pledged to dismantle the local police department, a significant move that comes amid nationwide protests sparked by George Floyd’s death last month. In all nine of the 13 councillors said a new model of public safety would be created in a city where law enforcement has been accused of racism.
This morning Council member Alondra Cano, City of Minneapolis tweeted from her handle @MplsWard9 “A veto-proof majority of the MPLS City Council just publicly agreed that the Minneapolis Police Department is not reformable and that we’re going to end the current policing system.”
She is Minneapolis Council Member for the Ninth Ward. Chair of PSEM Committee. Represents heart of South Minneapolis with the city’s largest Latinx population, according to her twitter handle.
Mayor Jacob Frey earlier opposed the move, drawing hecklings from the masses. Anti-racism rallies have been held after Floyd’s death in police custody. However, security measures across the country were lifted on Sunday as unrest started to ease.
Floyd’s funeral is scheduled for Tuesday in Houston, his home city before he moved to Minneapolis. The protests started after video emerged showing the 46-year-old African American pinned to the floor, with a white police officer kneeling on his neck for almost nine minutes.
Officer Derek Chauvin has been dismissed and charged with murder. Three other officers who were at the scene have also been sacked and charged with aiding and abetting.
The nine councillors read a statement to hundreds of protesters on Sunday. “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,” City Council President Lisa Bender was quoted as saying.
Bender said details of the overhaul plan needed to be discussed further, adding that she would try to shift police funding towards community based strategies.
