Washington, D.C. — Months after committing to “defunding the police” in the wake of George Floyd’s death, the Minneapolis City Council has reversed course and voted to approve the entire $6.8 million requested budget of the Minneapolis Police Department.
This vote came in response to increased crime rates and a severe lack of policing, with losses of nearly 200 officers from normal levels.
This decrease in available officers came from both budget concerns and loss of officers as a result of the riots. The riots led to both resignations and long-term medical leave for officers trying to quell the unrest over this past summer.
The Minneapolis police department is planning on using the money immediately to try to hire and train new officers but still expects to be well below normal levels at the end of 2021.
In light of this news, Yes 4 Minneapolis, a group strongly behind the “defund” movement, is still pushing forward with a ballot proposal for this November, which would replace some officers with social workers under a new “Department of Public Safety.”
However, with crime rates on the rise, it will be interesting if the demand for such a petition will gain support.
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