Minneapolis City Council, "Disband and Completely Reform the Police Department"

Holding Accountability for the George Floyd Case... New Police Organization Discussed
City Council Approves with Over Two-Thirds Majority... Mayor Opposes

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The Minneapolis City Council in Minnesota, where the George Floyd incident that sparked nationwide racial discrimination protests in the United States occurred, announced plans to completely dismantle the police organization and reorganize it into a new entity. Although the mayor of Minneapolis opposes this, a majority of city council members have approved the measure, so it is expected that the existing police personnel will be largely replaced soon.

According to the New York Times (NYT) on the 7th (local time), the Minneapolis City Council chair and nine council members issued a statement on the same day declaring that they would begin the process of dismantling and fully reorganizing the city police department. Lisa Bender, chair of the Minneapolis City Council, emphasized, "Despite reform efforts over the past decade, the Minneapolis police have not changed and must be held accountable for their actions," adding, "We are committed to dismantling the police department and rebuilding a new public safety model that genuinely protects the community."

Although specific plans have not yet been disclosed, it is known that all existing police officers will be relieved of their duties and a new police organization will be formed. According to CNN, Jacob Frey, the mayor of Minneapolis, opposes the police reorganization, but since nine city council members?the number required for approval?have already supported the reorganization, it is expected that the mayor will not be able to exercise a veto.

The Minneapolis City Council's tough stance on closing the police department is interpreted as a judgment that gradual reforms cannot improve situations such as excessive use of force controversies. Last year, the Minneapolis police were also criticized for fatally shooting an unarmed Australian woman who was trying to report a crime. The officer involved in that incident was sentenced to 12 years and 6 months in prison on charges including third-degree murder.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.