Minneapolis City Council President Says They're Dismantling PD, Gives Alternative That Would Replace the Department

Leah Barkoukis | June 05, 2020 7:30 AM

Minneapolis city councilman Jeremiah Ellison called for the “dismantling” of the city’s police department after days of unrest across the country over the death of George Floyd in police custody.

The position was then endorsed by the city council’s president, Lisa Bender.

“We are going to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department,” he tweeted. “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.”

Bender agreed and said it would be replaced with “a transformative new model of public safety."

Yes. We are going to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department and replace it with a transformative new model of public safety. https://t.co/FCfjoPy64k
— Lisa Bender (@lisabendermpls) June 4, 2020

Some pointed out that it's unlikely they'd be able to actually do that.

Good luck disbanding the Minneapolis PD when it has a collectively bargained contract.
— Dan McLaughlin (@baseballcrank) June 5, 2020

Others, meanwhile, suggested perhaps it's time to let these Democratic cities scrap their police force altogether.

Maybe it's time for some enterprising blue-state municipality to go bold and eliminate its police force. See what happens.
— Byron York (@ByronYork) June 4, 2020

Days earlier, Ellison, the son of state Attorney General Keith Ellison, had publicly expressed his support of antifa.

I hereby declare, officially, my support for ANTIFA

Unless someone can prove to me ANTIFA is behind the burning of black and immigrant owned businesses in my ward, I’ll keep focusing on stopping the white power terrorist THE ARE ACTUALLY ATTACKING US! https://t.co/m6jxtDYmTi
— Jeremiah Ellison (@jeremiah4north) May 31, 2020

Update: One of the ideas floated is to send in social workers. Seriously.

In the days since Floyd died, several elected officials have publicly floated various reform proposals, ranging from defunding the department immediately to taking a slower approach and sending social workers or mental health professionals to some calls that are now handled by police. (Star Tribune)