Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) told her constituents during a recent town hall the real reason why Minneapolis is experiencing a rise in violent crime is due to police officers not doing their jobs amid a proposal that would get rid of the police department.
"What we must also recognize is that the reduction in policing currently in our city and the lawlessness that is happening is due to two things. One, the police have chosen to not fulfill their oath of office and to provide the public safety they are owed to the citizens they serve, right? It's documented," Omar said on Saturday.
"The Minneapolis Police Department is the most dysfunctional police department in our state and probably the country," she added.
Ilhan Omar accuses police of not fulfilling their oath of office and blames them for the rise in violent crime in Minneapolis. pic.twitter.com/3LhuOuXEff
— Mike Berg (@MikeKBerg) October 25, 2021
Minneapolis' crime wave became worse in the aftermath of the widespread riots that were sparked following George Floyd's death while in police custody. Former police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. This year, the Minneapolis Police Department has recorded 78 homicides, nearly passing the 82 homicides in 2020 with a few months left in the year.
Minneapolis voters will be voting on a ballot proposal in November whether to get rid of the police department and replace it with a department of public safety. Following the 2020 riots in the city, Omar backed the city council when they voted to abolish the police department because "you can't really reform a department that is rotten to the root. What you can do is rebuild."
The city council has since backed away from the idea, resulting in the ballot initiative.