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01-11-2021, 03:09 PM
PUBLISHED OCT 31, 2021, 6:30 PM SGT
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On Tuesday (Nov 2), Minneapolis voters get to decide just how different their city's approach to policing should be. A ballot question asks residents whether they want to replace the police department with a new department of public safety, in the first big electoral test of reform efforts sparked by Mr Floyd's May 2020 killing.
But even after the outrage over his death and the tense protests that followed, the progressive city is deeply divided over the future of its law enforcement.
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residents fear for their safety amid crime spikes
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Opponents ...... say Minneapolis, with a population of about 430,000 people, needs more officers, not fewer, as it grapples with a crime wave.
Supporters insist police would remain on their jobs, though perhaps in smaller numbers. They say the change would mean approaching safety in a holistic manner, including addressing the root causes of crime before it takes place.
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Homicides in Minneapolis were up more than 17 per cent through the end of September, compared to the same period in 2020. Robberies and aggravated assaults also have increased.
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"This entire thing is a white, progressive movement, man," said Mr Teto Wilson, a Black barber shop owner in north Minneapolis, referring to efforts to replace the police department.
"They're trying to turn us into some damn big experiment."
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In the Folwell neighbourhood north of Wilson's barber shop, Ms Anna Gerdeen, who is white and described herself as a progressive director of a community not-for-profit, said she might normally support more radical policing reforms.
But not now, while she and her 11-year-old son feel under siege inside their own home. She will vote against the creation of a new department.
"My neighbour's house got hit with bullets a couple months ago. I can't let my son play outside in the yard anymore," Ms Gerdeen said. "As a mother, I just can't risk any more chaos."
https://www.straitstimes.com/world/unite...department
......
On Tuesday (Nov 2), Minneapolis voters get to decide just how different their city's approach to policing should be. A ballot question asks residents whether they want to replace the police department with a new department of public safety, in the first big electoral test of reform efforts sparked by Mr Floyd's May 2020 killing.
But even after the outrage over his death and the tense protests that followed, the progressive city is deeply divided over the future of its law enforcement.
......
residents fear for their safety amid crime spikes
......
Opponents ...... say Minneapolis, with a population of about 430,000 people, needs more officers, not fewer, as it grapples with a crime wave.
Supporters insist police would remain on their jobs, though perhaps in smaller numbers. They say the change would mean approaching safety in a holistic manner, including addressing the root causes of crime before it takes place.
......
Homicides in Minneapolis were up more than 17 per cent through the end of September, compared to the same period in 2020. Robberies and aggravated assaults also have increased.
......
"This entire thing is a white, progressive movement, man," said Mr Teto Wilson, a Black barber shop owner in north Minneapolis, referring to efforts to replace the police department.
"They're trying to turn us into some damn big experiment."
......
In the Folwell neighbourhood north of Wilson's barber shop, Ms Anna Gerdeen, who is white and described herself as a progressive director of a community not-for-profit, said she might normally support more radical policing reforms.
But not now, while she and her 11-year-old son feel under siege inside their own home. She will vote against the creation of a new department.
"My neighbour's house got hit with bullets a couple months ago. I can't let my son play outside in the yard anymore," Ms Gerdeen said. "As a mother, I just can't risk any more chaos."
https://www.straitstimes.com/world/unite...department
