In the latest episode of “progressives don’t care about black people,” reports suggest there is a chance that Minneapolis residents might vote to abolish the police department and replace it with some ludicrous far-leftist creation that will almost certainly place people in danger. The “Defund the Police” initiative apparently didn’t get enough black people killed so now they’re stepping it up.
As I’ve written previously, black Americans have been disproportionately impacted by the skyrocketing crime rates caused, in large part, by the fact that cities cut funding for their police departments, resulting in fewer police officers on the streets. This has been especially true in Minneapolis.
But now, residents will be voting on a measure that would abolish the Minneapolis Police Department and replace it with a “public safety” agency. The effort is being spearheaded by a far-leftist group called Yes 4 Minneapolis. The group, which is funded by George Soros’ Open Society Foundation, argued that this measure is necessary to address “state-sanctioned violence” against “black lives.”
Under this amendment to the Minneapolis city charter, the police department and its chief would be removed. The new Public Safety Department “could include police officers, but the minimum funding requirement would be eliminated,” according to the Star Tribune.
Under the proposal, the mayor and city council would be responsible for determining whether to include police officers and other law enforcement personnel. Indeed, the new public safety department would not only be under the authority of the mayor, but also the city’s legislature.
This proposal would allow the city’s government to have even fewer officers on the street because it removes the requirement to keep law enforcement funded. Right now, MPD is “deficient by more than 200 officers,” according to the New York Post.
There are aspects of the measure that could be beneficial. It would have mental health responders and social workers responding to nonviolent 911 calls in collaboration with law enforcement officials. However, the rest of it would likely place even more lives in danger as it would almost certainly reduce the number of officers on the street.
The Post reported:
Minneapolis’ ShotSpotter system recorded the sound of 8,382 gunshots through the end of September — more than double in the same time period in 2019 (3,388) and still well over the record-breaking number in 2020 (7,115).
Former Minneapolis mayoral candidate Don Samuels told the Post:
Carjackings and robberies have taken their toll. Neighbors are getting trauma therapy, taking sedatives and shipping off their traumatized children to relatives. And they are selling their homes in tears.
But what is truly interesting – and infuriating – about this story is the makeup of those supporting the measure. A recent Star Tribune poll found that the majority of those who support the amendment are young, white, and college-educated.
Among black voters, 75 percent opposed decreasing the number of police officers in the city. About half of white voters also disagreed with lessening police presence. About 50 percent of whites support replacing the city’s police department while 42 percent of blacks agree. However, as the New York Post notes, “[b]ut white voters make up two-thirds of Minneapolis residents, giving them more power on an issue that affects them less.”
These results are in line with a Gallup poll released last year showing that 81 percent of black Americans want the same level of police activity in their communities or more. The white progressive types in Minneapolis do not seem to understand – or even care – how black people feel about these types of measures.
The white progressive mentality says that they must rescue black and brown Americans from the pervasive racism inherent in every facet of American society. It doesn’t even occur to them to find out how black people would wish to address the problems they face. While they would never admit this, they have this approach because they believe black people are inferior beings that need to be coddled and taken care of.
The racism of the white progressive seeks to elevate themselves through virtue signaling and “feel good” policies that cause more harm than damage. It can be no surprise that they would support such a measure.
As I’ve written previously, it has been black Americans who have been disproportionately impacted by skyrocketing crime rates driven in large part by the shortage of police officers on duty. This proposal would make the situation even worse for Minneapolis residents of all races. Indeed, the consequences of virtue signaling “feel good” policies rarely affect those who create and support them.
If the Star Tribune’s polling is accurate, it seems unlikely that those who wish to reduce the police force further will get their way. If it doesn’t, then many Minneapolis residents will have dodged a bullet – literally.
