Car-jackings in Minneapolis, where city council members first voted to defund the police, are up by 537% as the city grapples with skyrocketing crime rates.
Minneapolis cops have recorded more than 130 violent carjackings over the last two months, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
Just last week, the police reported three different carjackings within just one hour. There were 17 other carjackings that same week.
“The numbers are staggering,” police spokesman John Elder said. “It defies all civility and any shred of common human decency.”
To deal with the high crime rates, the city council voted to bring in additional police officers from a neighboring county. However, they continue to push their plan to defund the Minneapolis Police Department.
Several members introduced a plan on Friday that would implement additional cuts to the MPD’s budget and make the city’s reduction in law enforcement permanent. If the bill passes, the MPD will lose an additional $8 million, and its force will shrink by 15%.
“Minneapolis residents have made a clear call for change,” the council members said.
“Over-relying on armed law enforcement has over-exposed our city to potential harms and not led to safety for all in our city,” they continued. “We can and must do better.”
Even Democratic Mayor Jacob Frey admitted that the plan would be disastrous.
“Mayor Frey has laid the groundwork in his budget proposal for new, alternative responses to low level offenses like theft reports and parking problems,” Michael Vlatkovich, a spokesman for Frey, said.
“However, the mayor would have significant concerns if his council colleagues attempted to make such large, permanent cuts to the number of officers in the department without sound data or community input to support such a decision.”
But the plan does have a few advocates, including radical leftist “Squad” member Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn.
Don’t fall for the fear-driven narratives.
We can craft a justice system that prioritizes people’s basic needs like mental health + violence prevention, & allow the city to put public safety first.
S/o @lisabendermpls @CunninghamMPLS & @SteveFletcher33 https://t.co/oBXCQyvIDq
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) November 30, 2020
