Minneapolis residents reject proposal to replace police department
The result is a blow to the nationwide movement to overhaul
policing spurred by the death of George Floyd.
Minneapolis voters on Tuesday rejected a proposal to replace
the city's police department with a Department of Public Safety, The Associated
Press projected. The result is a blow to the nationwide movement to overhaul
policing spurred by the police killing of George Floyd a year and a half ago.
The ballot initiative would have amended the city's charter
to remove a requirement that the police department maintain a minimum of
officers.
It asked residents whether the police department should be
replaced with a Department of Public Safety "that employs a comprehensive
public health approach to the delivery of functions," the specifics of
which would be determined by the mayor and City Council.
Supporters said the measure would reduce the role of armed
police officers in calls involving homeless people, mental health issues and
substance use, though they would still be part of the new department and would
respond to violent crime.
Opponents of the measure criticized the ballot language for
saying that the new department "could include" licensed police
officers, if necessary, to fulfill its public safety responsibilities at a time
when the city has recorded the most homicides since the mid-1990s. Many also
took issue with the vague wording of the measure and its newness.
Leili Fatehi, the campaign manager for All of Mpls, which
opposed the measure, said voters made clear that they want a planned approach
to making changes to policing in the city that "includes serious
consultation with communities most impacted by violence, crime and over
policing." She added that attention now shifts to holding police
accountable.
At a media briefing Tuesday morning, JaNaé Bates, a minister
and spokesperson for Yes 4 Minneapolis, the coalition that petitioned to put
the item on the ballot, said the group will continue to push for an overhaul of
the police department regardless of whether the ballot initiative passes.
"If the people of Minneapolis vote no, that does mean
that the disinformation campaign has won out for this battle. And it means that
this fight continues," she said. "We will most certainly continue
moving forward."
Yes 4 Minneapolis has said a new, revamped department would
make the city safer.
According to a recent poll by local media outlets, 33
percent of residents had favorable opinions of the police while 53 percent had
unfavorable opinions.
Minneapolis is among a number of municipalities considering
or trying to overhaul its police department, after a police officer murdered
Floyd last year. A day after the former Minneapolis police officer, Derek
Chauvin, was convicted of murder in Floyd's death, the Justice Department
announced it was opening a sweeping investigation into policing practices in
Minneapolis.
Before Floyd's death, the Minneapolis Police Department made
national headlines for the killing of Jamar Clark in November 2015 and the
killing of Justine Ruszczyk Damond in July 2017. In recent weeks, videos were
released that showed Minneapolis officers discussing "hunting" people
who were out past curfew during protests last year, and beating a man who had
surrendered
The ballot measure divided the local community.
Last week, Police Chief Medaria Arradondo said that he did
not support the ballot amendment and that the election could arguably have the
most consequential impact on the future of public safety in Minneapolis.
Arradondo, who has been a member of the department for more
than 30 years, said he was never asked for his input into the proposed charter
amendment.
He delivered his remarks in full uniform while standing in
front of a backdrop featuring the department's logo.
"To vote on a measure reimagining public safety without
a solid plan, and an implementation or direction of work, this is too critical
of a time to wish and hope for that help that we need so desperately right
now," Arradondo said, adding that he "was not expecting some sort of
robust detailed word-for-word plan."
"But at this point, quite frankly, I would take a
drawing on a napkin," he said. "And I have not seen either."
Arradondo said that, among other things, the ballot
initiative would not prevent tragic incidents between police and members of the
community from ever occurring, that it would not "suddenly" change
the police department's culture overnight and that it would not make it easier
to recruit, hire or retain officers.
Corenia Smith, the campaign manager for Yes 4 Minneapolis,
criticized Arradondo last week for delivering his remarks in uniform, saying
that doing so was "in explicit contradiction of the policy he himself
wrote last year."
She said that Arradondo's news conference revealed "why
structural change is imperative to keep the people of Minneapolis safe and to
implement an accountable and transparent relationship with those who are called
to protect and serve."
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