Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey signs new budget with police changes startribune.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from startribune.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
As Violence Rises, Minneapolis City Council Begins Defunding Police
The Minneapolis City Council unanimously voted to redirect approximately $8 million from the police department despite rising violence in the city since the death of George Floyd in May.
The budget cut was reworked last minute to avoid cutting police staff after objections from Mayor Jacob Frey, who threatened to veto the measure set to eliminate more than 100 officers from the force starting in 2022. It passed early Thursday. Instead of mandating that the millions of dollars be used to train and improve policing to quell violence in the city, the funds will be diverted into “mental health teams, violence prevention programs, and other initiatives.”
Minneapolis City Council cuts police budget, but leaves staffing levels alone
The “Safety for All” amendment funds an expansion in the city’s Office of Violence Prevention, funds mental health crisis response teams and moves more than a dozen civilian employees of the Minneapolis Police Department to other departments.
Written By:
Brandt Williams / MPR News | 11:44 am, Dec. 10, 2020 ×
Minneapolis City Council member Phillipe Cunningham speaks to a crowd gathered at Powderhorn Park on June 7. Cunningham is one of three council members who authored a proposal to take nearly $8 million from the police budget to spend on other public safety initiatives. Liam James Doyle for MPR News file photo
Council President Lisa Bender said she’s proud of how the council came together, despite having disagreements, and worked toward a shared goal.
“It’s clear to me and I think to all of us that we need to transform our system of public safety. That we cannot vacillate between police violence and community violence,” said Bender. “That we must transform our system.”
The “Safety for All” amendment funds an expansion in the city’s Office of Violence Prevention, funds mental health crisis response teams and moves more than a dozen civilian employees of the Minneapolis Police Department to other departments.
Breaking the cycle: Violence prevention leaders working to reverse deadly year tmj4.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from tmj4.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.