The New York Times, June 5, 2020: Cities Ask if It’s Time to Defund Police and ‘Reimagine’ Public Safety
After more than a week of protests against police brutality and unrest that left parts of the city burned, a growing chorus of elected officials, civic leaders and residents in Minneapolis are urging the city to break up the Police Department and reimagine the way policing works.
“We are going to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department,” Jeremiah Ellison, a member of the City Council, said on Twitter this week. “And when we’re done, we’re not simply gonna glue it back together,” he added. “We are going to dramatically rethink how we approach public safety and emergency response.”
At least three others, including the City Council president, Lisa Bender, have also called for taking the Police Department apart.
