Get the latest BPR news delivered free to your inbox daily. SIGN UP HERE
CHECK OUT WeThePeople.store for best SWAG!
Residents of Minneapolis are learning a hard, first-hand lesson that elections have consequences.
With violent crime surging in the city after the recent Black Lives Matter riots, the same Minneapolis City Council that officially moved to dismantle its police force is now asking, “Where are the police?”
At a meeting slated as a study session on police reform, which was attended by Police Chief Medaria Arradondo, Minnesota Public Radio reported that newly elected council member Jamal Osman said, “Residents are asking, ‘Where are the police’?”
Perhaps the question should be, given the council’s plans, “Where is the Department of Community Safety and Violence Prevention?”
Minneapolis City Council members, some of whom support defunding the city's police department, say their constituents are “terrified” by a violent uptick.https://t.co/EnUY1zcKjI
— MPR News (@MPRnews) September 16, 2020
“That is the only public safety option they have at the moment. MPD. They rely on MPD. And they are saying they are nowhere to be seen,” Osman said, in reference to the Minneapolis Police Department.
Other council members said their constituents are feeling “terrorized.”
As seen in one Democrat-run city after another following the protests and riots over the death of George Floyd, which left police departments under siege, the city is now dealing with a crime wave.
More from MPR News:
The number of reported violent crimes, like assaults, robberies and homicides are up compared to 2019, according to MPD crime data. More people have been killed in the city in the first nine months of 2020 than were slain in all of last year. Property crimes, like burglaries and auto thefts, are also up. Incidents of arson have increased 55 percent over the total at this point in 2019.
It’s not clear if the rise in arson includes when rioters nearly burned the city to the ground.
Council President Lisa Bender, who led the call to dismantle the MPD, said that her constituents are claiming defiant officers admit that they’re purposely not arresting people who are committing crimes, the news outlet reported.
Always on the attack, Bender added, “This is not new, but it is very concerning in the current context.”
All four police officers involved in the arrest of Floyd — whose death may have been the result of a fentanyl overdose — were fired. They also face serious charges for the incident. Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd’s neck, faces a second-degree murder charge, while the other officers face charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder.
It goes without saying that Minneapolis cops were paying attention, because they’re fleeing the department like rats jumping from a sinking ship — the chief said around 100 officers have left or have taken leave since the beginning of 2020, which is more than double the usual number.
The public health-based approach the council is pushing is apparently slow to be implemented.
As MPR News noted, the council recently took over $1 million from the police budget to hire “violence interrupters” to intervene and defuse potentially violent incidents.
“If we have these systems in place we are getting ahead of the violence,” council member Phillipe Cunningham said. “That’s why I’ve advocated so strongly for the violence interrupters, because if they are interrupting the violence before the guns are being fired, then the MPD doesn’t have to respond to that violence.”
If the reaction on social media is any indication, Minnesotans may be waking up to the reality that who you elect to office can make a difference.
Here’s a sampling of responses from Twitter:
The best headline EVER.
— MomoftheYear (@Madame__Martini) September 16, 2020
i though this was the onion or something…
— Andrew He (@Boredcaliguy) September 16, 2020
Amazing how incompetent members of a City Council can be for a mere $98,696 each per year. Maybe they need a pay raise. Somehow, I think that will be their next request.
— Lynn McHale (@lynnmchale) September 16, 2020
There are no city offices on the Novemer 2020 ballot. All city elected positions run in November 2021; that includes: Mayor, all 13 Council Members, the MPRB Commissioners (district and at-large), and the two at-large seats on the Board of Estimate & Taxation.
— Minneapolis Clerk (@mplsclerk) September 16, 2020
“Uptick” yeah the 2005 Tsunami was just a “wave”.
— Joe B (@joeb612) September 16, 2020
You get exactly what you asked for, Minneapolis. Enjoy!
— Bullneck (@Bullneck) September 16, 2020
Oh for F’s sake!! They are literally the most incompetent “leaders.” Instead of working WITH the police, they vilified them. Play stupid games, earn stupid consequences. Vote them out!
— Lacy Atkinson (@lacecatkinson) September 16, 2020
I bet no one saw that coming…
— David Starsky 🏴☠️ (@DetDaveStarsky) September 16, 2020
The ignorance of the left is astounding
— david the conservative (@d_raddatz) September 16, 2020
DONATE TO BIZPAC REVIEW
Please help us! If you are fed up with letting radical big tech execs, phony fact-checkers, tyrannical liberals and a lying mainstream media have unprecedented power over your news please consider making a donation to BPR to help us fight them. Now is the time. Truth has never been more critical!
Tom@bizpacreview.com
The longest-tenured writer at BizPac Review, Tom grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills.
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.
