The Minneapolis City Council took a crucial first step Friday toward divesting some of the huge costs now being used for police services and re-investing that money in programs that serve the entire community.
The council voted to forward a proposed charter amendment – intended to go before voters in November – that would allow the council to establish a new Department of Community Safety and Violence Prevention. This department would have a “holistic, public health-oriented approach.”
Statement from ACLU-MN Executive Director John Gordon:
“The Minneapolis City Council has just taken an important step toward ending the current system of ineffective, often racist, militarized policing, and instead reinvesting in our communities. If this plan is shaped by real community input and implemented correctly, it could transform the way Minneapolis keeps people healthy and safe. Instead of criminalizing Black communities, the city has the unprecedented opportunity to provide everyone with access to life-affirming services that reduce crime and resolve conflict – no matter what neighborhood they live in.”
At this historic moment, it’s important to acknowledge the generations of Black organizers and the young Black and Brown people protesting in the streets who made this happen.
It’s time to knock down the blue wall of silence that contributed to the murder of George Floyd and so many People of Color before him.
Reimagining the Role of Police: https://www.aclu.org/news/criminal-law-reform/reimagining-the-role-of-police/
Resources on the Future of Policing: https://www.aclu-mn.org/en/justice-george-floyd
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