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On Tuesday, Democrats had a nightmarish election night, with Americans completely obliterating Biden's plan, but one major setback in Minneapolis may have gone mostly undetected.
Minneapolis voters turned down a ballot proposition that would have replaced the police department in the city charter with a Department of Public Safety, a move backed by Rep. Ilhan Omar, CBS Minnesota reported.
With 945 of precincts reporting, 57% of voters — almost 77,000 — were against the amendment.
The vote means the Department of Public Safety will not be created and the Minneapolis Police Department will remain on the city charter.
Meanwhile, the Minneapolis Police Department is seeking $27 million in funding to address a “staggering” number of police officer departures as violent crime surges in the city.
Arradondo said there are 598 active sworn officers this year compared to 853 in 2019. The budget proposal calls for increased funding to rebuild core services.
Minneapolis was the site of the killing of George Floyd by former police officer Derek Chauvin in 2020.
“We all agree that we can’t sustain as we are now with the way policing has been,” Brian Herron, a church pastor on the city’s North Side said. But the pastor was against getting rid of the police department, The New York Times reported. “We don’t have time to reimagine. We got bodies dropping in the streets. We got innocent folk being killed.”
Sheila Nezhad, who was a candidate for Minneapolis mayor, supported the measure.
“For every new change, someone had to be the first,” she said. “This is our opportunity to lead.”
Democrats were split on the issue with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Gov. Tim Walz opposing the measure but State Attorney General Keith Ellison and Rep. Omar were in favor of the measure.
“I find it fascinating that folks are saying, ‘No, this is the wrong time to do things that directly address the things that are bad right now,’” JaNaé Bates, a minister who helped lead the charge to replace the police department, said.
“I am disappointed that people appear to be coming from a place of fear,” Minneapolis resident Erica Mauter, who supported the measure, said to Fox News Tuesday night. “When we’re uncertain about the future or when change feels tenuous, we want to go back to what made us feel comfortable and to what we already know. We have to challenge ourselves to have some imagination about different paths to a safer Minneapolis.”
Celebrations were had by many on Twitter who support the police.
“Tonight, the people of Minneapolis rejected Ilhan Omar and the Defund the Police movement,” Parkland dad Andrew Pollack said.
Tonight, the people of Minneapolis rejected Ilhan Omar and the Defund the Police movement.
— Andrew Pollack (@AndrewPollackFL) November 3, 2021
“Breaking: Minneapolis votes on whether to replace police department Not investment advice but if they vote to shut down police department I would take a close look at shares of Ryder $R and U-Hal $UHAL #justsaying,” Fox Business anchor Charles Payne said.
Breaking: Minneapolis votes on whether to replace police department
— Charles V Payne (@cvpayne) November 2, 2021
Not investment advice but if they vote to shut down police department I would take a close look at shares of Ryder $R and U-Hal $UHAL#justsaying
“57 percent of #Minneapolis voters REJECTED a proposed charter amendment that would have eliminated the city’s police department and replaced it with a public safety agency,” Fox News contributor Sara Carter said.
57 percent of #Minneapolis voters REJECTED a proposed charter amendment that would have eliminated the city’s police department and replaced it with a public safety agency.
— Sara A. Carter (@SaraCarterDC) November 3, 2021
“It’s a good night for policing in Minneapolis with the abolition movement getting handed a defeat in their attempt to replace the police department,” radio host Jason Rantz said on Twitter.
It's a good night for policing in Minneapolis with the abolition movement getting handed a defeat in their attempt to replace the police department.
— Jason Rantz on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) November 3, 2021
