City Council President Says Minneapolis Police Will Be Abolished

The President of the Minneapolis City Council wants to abolish her city's police force. An emergency vote has been set for Friday to take the next step twords this objective.

“We are going to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department,” says Lisa Bender, the president of the Minneapolis City Council.

A man named George Floyd died in Minneapolis Police custody on May 25, triggering a wave of national protest and civil unrest. Prompted by Floyd’s untimely passing, a member of the Council said that the legislative body was “working on finding out” if disbanding the police was a possibility, days ago. It now appears that what began as an inquiry has become a reality per Bender and another council member, Jeremiah Ellison, via Twitter, Thursday.

Jeremiah Ellison, the son of Minnesota Attorney general Keith Ellison, has also confirmed the plan the abolish the police. “We are going to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department,” he says. “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,” he added.

The radical changes Ellison alluded to may include disarming whatever entity replaces the Police Department. Councilman Steve Fletcher appeared to suggest that a “public safety” force designed to replace the police would not carry guns in his statement on the matter, Tuesday.

Ellison also recently declared his allegiance to ANTIFA, May 31, after President Donald Trump announced that the far left group will be designated as a terror organization.

The Minneapolis City Council is generally understood to have a strong leftward bent. Two of its members, Phillipe Cunningham and Andrea Jenkins are transgender.

Cunningham sits on on the bottom right corner, Jenkins sits in the bottom row, third from the right.

Rioting in Minneapolis has claimed claimed the lives of at least two individuals and destroyed over 300 businesses, per the Star Tribune.

The Council has also set a meeting to vote on “a court order stipulating immediate changes for MPD and a framework for systemic change,” per a media advisory reported by Fox 9.

Kyle Hooten

Kyle Hooten is Managing Editor of Alpha News. His coverage of Minneapolis has been featured on television shows like Tucker Carlson Tonight and in print media outlets like the Wall Street Journal.