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The city of Minneapolis has pledged to disband its police department after a majority of city council members backed the move in the wake of George Floyd’s death.
Nine of the Minneapolis City Council’s 12 members voted for the huge chance on Sunday afternoon and have vowed to introduce constructive alternatives after Floyd died in police custody last month.
Floyd, who was African American, was killed when a white police officer appeared to kneel on his neck as he lay on the ground during an arrest.
Officer Derek Chauvin has since been sacked and charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter. Three of his colleagues, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J Alexander Keung are now all facing charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder, and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. Since Floyd’s death, protests have erupted in the US and around the world.
Lisa Bender, the Minneapolis council president, said: “It is clear that our system of policing is not keeping our communities safe.
“Our efforts at incremental reform have failed, period.”
Ms Bender explained that she and the eight other council members who joined a Black Lives Matter rally in the city would “end policing as we know it and recreate systems that actually keep us safe”.
Ms Bender added that details of the overhaul plan would be be discussed further, but that police funding will now move towards community based strategies.
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