MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Today, nine members of the Minneapolis City Council formally announced their intention to end the Minneapolis Police Department and create a new transformative model for cultivating public safety. In response, Local Progress released the following statement:
“Across the country, communities have been calling for fundamental change. Today, Minneapolis leaders are answering that call to action. In bold solidarity grounded by the community, they are committing to fundamentally reimagining what true public safety looks like. This is a bold step — and, most importantly, a necessary one.
It is clear, now more than ever, that our current system of ‘public safety’ is not working. It is one of over-policing; of mass criminalization and mass incarceration of Black and Brown communities; of oppression that is inextricably linked to police brutality and murder. True public safety comes when communities have what they need — affordable housing, access to quality education, universal healthcare, and dignified living-wage jobs.
Transforming this system will not happen overnight. This is just the beginning — but we are inspired by the leadership of community advocates, local elected officials, and Black leaders in Minneapolis.
We thank Minneapolis for their courage and urge fellow leaders across the country to heed their call for a transformation of public safety beyond policing and incarceration”
