Under-Told Verbatim: Defunding the Police

After police killed George Floyd on May 25, Minneapolis and St. Paul saw weeks of protests that spread across the world. Never before has such a clear demand emerged from the demonstrations: defund the police. The Minneapolis City council unanimously advanced a proposal at the end of June to create a new Department of Community Safety and Violence Prevention—their next goal was to amend the city charter, which mandates a police department with a certain number of officers. The council hoped to put that question before voters, but the Minneapolis Charter Commission, court appointed and not elected, had the ultimate say and voted effectively to keep the issue off the November ballot. That decision sat well with mayor Jacob Frey, who’s opposed the defunding campaign. Amid the debate, Minneapolis has seen a spike in violent crime and a record number of complaints against the department since the city erupted in protests after Floyd’s killing. Throughout the summer, we’ve followed the defund the police debate. To find out what a police-free future might look like, our correspondent, Fred de Sam Lazaro, has talked with city leaders and community members, like Tyrone Hartwell of the Minnesota Freedom Fighters and Lisa Clemons of A Mother's Love.