Minneapolis City Council Votes To Cut $8M From Police Budget Amid Defund Police Movement
The Minneapolis City Council has voted to cut $8 million from its police budget amid the defund police movement which follows the death of George Floyd and subsequent social injustice protests/riots.
On Thursday (Dec. 10), the council unanimously approved a budget that will shift about $8 million from the police department and place it towards violence prevention and other services — however, the mayor’s targeted staffing levels will remain for sworn officers.
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Mayor Jacob Frey has called the vote a “defining moment for the city,” this after he threatened to veto the whole budget if the Council moved forward with plans to place a cap on police staffing. Frey stated, “We all share a deep and abiding reverence for the role our local government plays in service of the people of our city. And today, there are good reasons to be optimistic about the future in Minneapolis.”
Initially, the City Council proposed to cut the city’s police force to 750 officers from the current 888, this beginning in 2022.