Minneapolis City Council vows to 'dismantle' police department: report

Let me get this straight - The City Council Vice President sang "Amazing Grace" as the city of Minneapolis was burned & looted?   

The City Council is thinking of dismantling the Police Department?

When did a city once associated with goodwill, the sweetness of Mary Tyler Moore and the Mall of America become a haven for those who could elect such leftist ideologues?


Trump is off topic

Could you please explain why "...goodwill, the sweetness of Mary Tyler Moore and the Mall of America..." are in any way not conformable to the question of "...who could elect such leftist ideologues?"

More sucsinctly, why do you think that those two statements are mutually exclusive?

Could you please explain why "... goodwill, the sweetness of Mary Tyler Moore and the Mall of America ..." are in any way not conformable to the question of "... who could elect such leftist ideologues? "

I'll be glad to explain. Maybe Minneapolis could always be considered a democratic city, (it was once a key center for the Iron Workers Union) but clearly there is a major difference between the type of people who lived there in the 1970's and those who populate the city today. Iv'e been searching for this answer for a long time. I think I began getting a grasp of Minneapolis metamorphosis into a city with progressive leanings based on a residents explanation back in 2014.

Fortunately, I have that for you:

Sonnet Fitzgerald , lives in Minnesota;

"Cities tend to run Democratic, and in the Twin Cities themselves there are large groups that tend to push up Dem numbers, such as some of the largest Muslim and LGBTQ populations in the US.

Outside the cities, in the rural areas, the population is by and large descended from Swedes and Norwegians, with strong cultural ties to Scandinavia. (Germany rates third, I believe, but Wisconsin is where you'll find more German Americans.) Scandinavian Lutheran culture in general is very big on social justice, which melds with many of the social positions of the Democratic platform.

It's definitely a swing state, it's not totally Democratic. As Thomas mentioned, we have Michele Bachmann here, a poster girl for conservative politics. And the Independence Party is also a force to be reckoned with in MN, a large enough party to win seats and seat governors.

But yes - by and large, if the scales tip, they most often tip just slightly into D territory for MN, for those reasons."

quora

I underlined what pertained to the twin cities, rather than to the broader statement on Minnesota as well.

The next logical question is how did it get that way?  How did those groups congregate there? 

Voting blue is one thing, voting hard left is another.

congratulations, you found one person's personal opinion on Quora from April 25, 2014.

OMG, the mother lode of truth /s

Then again you could have gone with Eugene Wiegel's comments which he thoughtfully updated in 2017 when MN Blue laws were changed.

I am guessing that Eugene's opinion didn't quite align with yours.

Eugene Weigel

Updated March 18, 2017

I'm assuming by "democratic" you mean liberal, but it really isn't.

Sure, we've had our share of "liberal" politicians that have been part of the national stage like Hubert Humphrey, Walter Mondale, Gene McCarthy, and more recently Al Franken.

However, I don't think if you moved here, that you would find Minnesotans are all that liberal.

In fact I would say that they're more middle of the road politically than anything else.

For example, this state still has "blue laws" which means that you cannot purchase certain things on Sunday such as liquor or a car. ( Update: after 159 years, the Minnesota state legislature approved off sale Sunday liquor sales. It goes into effect on July 2nd, 2017).

Another example would be the 6th congressional district, which elected Michele Bachmann for several terms. That area is a stronghold of the extreme right wing. One of largest school districts is also located in that district, and the school board is stocked with very conservative members.

When an anti bully policy towards gays was proposed several years ago after an incident involving a gay student resulted in her suicide, it was met with severe opposition from anti gay forces and was so watered down as to be useless.

Up in the northern part of the state known as the "Iron Range" a lot of statewide elections are decided depending on how those voters swing. Back in the day, it used to be a DFL (Democratic Farmer Labor - that's the official name of the MN democratic party) stronghold as the Iron Range area employed thousands of union workers as mining was a huge industry up there until about the late 70's, when the US steel industry fell apart. Since then, the population has declined as people moved to the cities to find work, and the political influence of the UMW and related unions was greatly diminished.

Another example would be race relations. In the St. Cloud area (about 80 miles NE of Minneapolis) during the past 20 years, there have been hate crimes perpetrated against African Americans (and other minorities) such as cross burnings and other racially motivated crimes like spray painting racial epithets on houses. Now I will say that there's not been a lot of these cases, but there is a clear undertone of racial hostility around that area (St. Cloud State University is located there and there are exchange students that have reported "incidents" to the police)

So we're not as "democratic" as you might think.

quora

Then again you could have gone with Eugene Wiegel's comments

I could have, but I became interested, like I said, about the concentration of the two groups mentioned, which weighed heavily on my second question - how did it happen?

Maybe this will add something to this issue which I find so interesting:

Courtesy of Sonny Lohman:

"Everyone not lying to themselves predicted when the federal government under Bill Clinton – aided and abetted by Lutheran Social Services, Catholic Charities and World Relief Minnesota -- plopped 30,000 Somalis down into the midst of the kind, virtue-signaling, eager-to-help Midwesterners of Minneapolis (of which I am one) that it would lead to some grave consequences for our community.

Now, due to continuing refugee placements as well as chain migration there are an estimated 80,000 Somalis living in the Twin Cities metro area, or more like 79,000 if you subtract those who’ve left the country to join terrorist organizations like ISIS.

Anyhoo, here’s a week Minneapolitans had with their Somali neighbors last month:

On  Wednesday , May 15th a couple of University students were attacked on campus at the East Bank Train station by two Somali thugs. It was an attempted robbery that the guys rebuffed sustaining injuries that required a hospital visit.

On  Thursday , May 16th two Somalis burned down the pavilion at Lake Calhoun [or Lake Bde Maka Ska if you’re a virtue signaler) an eating and hanging out meeting place in the heart of the city enjoyed by generations of Americans around the prettiest city lake you’ve ever seen. This is in the most expensive neighborhood in Minneapolis.

On  Friday , May 17th a gang of 10-12 Somali youths attacked all the white people at that same East Bank Train station with hammers and pipes.  Snopes  says this is “Mostly False” because after the attack they fled, and out of the 7 who were eventually apprehended only two were still in possession of weapons, in this case pipes. So therefore, it never happened.

And now  Tuesday , May 20th a woman walking her dog in a gorgeous, huge, wooded off leash dog park, complete with sandy beach on the Mississippi River, found spikes just off the path. Sharp metal objects taped to a wooden spike, presumably designed to hurt dogs running happily through the underbrush. Now, we don’t know that a Somali did that, it could be some crazed psycho Swede, but Islam abhors dogs as unclean because the prophet did.

Will this cause anything to change in Minnesota? Will the city’s leaders stop  wearing the hijab in solidarity  with the worst of Islam, incredibly, after they attack us!? Will Minneapolitans elect secular, assimilated Somalis rather than proudly Sharia- supporting, anti-Semitic, enshrouded Somali Muslims like Ilhan Omar? (80% of Democrats picked her in the primary.) I doubt it. They did all that  after  the following events:

·      In 2018 it was uncovered that  Somalis had perpetrated a massive, community wide scam  against the welfare state of Minnesota, stealing an incredible $100 million from a childcare handout program by fraud and shipping that money to Somalia to fund God knows what. (Incidentally, though finally proven in 2018, this was an open secret for years. I knew about this scam when I left the state in 2014.)

·       Dozens of Somalis , men and women, over the years arrested or tracked as they attempted to join terrorists overseas including ISIS. The feds are concerned it is still a rich breeding ground for Islamic supremacy and terrorist organizations.

·      In 2016 the first Somali police officer murdered a woman in her pajamas who had called in a disturbance. I guess it’s not safe to call the cops when you see something and say something. He has been  found guilty  of that murder.

·      In 2018 a Somali student at St Catherine University  attempted to burn down  the school and “hurt people,” saying, ““You guys are lucky that I don’t know how to build a bomb because I would have done that.”

·      In 2017 a Somali man  stabbed a young woman  14 times for no apparent reason -- he didn’t go after her purse -- while she was walking home from her job at an Apple Store. He’s still at large. Curiously no composite sketch was ever released to the media.

American Thinker, tied for lowest credibility among unallowable sources ( MBFC) with the equally unreliable Geller Report.  Well at least the article is only a year old.

It isn't clear whether it's an article or a blog post

Articles & Blog Posts by Sunny Lohman

• Somalis have Changed Minneapolis

It is clear that it's just another opinion...

Was it an accident that you misspelled Sunny, Sonny ?

So none of that happened and there is no major Somali population in the twin cities?

Are you sure you want to tell our readers that?

"replacing a traditional police department with a broader, more holistic public safety department ,Social workers or medics could respond to situations once handled by police, she said."

That has got to be the most stupid comment of 2020 !

The New Police Force of the Future:

The gangs and criminals will love it.

Maybe they can dispense free pot, needles, condoms, and refreshments while they are answering calls?

And just the trash to the curb too.

"To do this kind of big work, we need a deeper, broader conversation than we've ever had before," Bender told the paper. "We need white people like me and my neighbors to show up in a different way."

A CHANGE IS GONNA COME - Greta VanFleet

I doubt very much if this idea will get anywhere. The fact of the matter is that the police department in Minneapolis has a very long history of brutality against minorities, especially the NA community in Minneapolis. It is the reason that the American Indian Movement was started in the very same area in 1968 and they are still a force in the corridor. (Franklin Ave). The PD needs a good house cleaning. If any of you have ever lived in Minneapolis or are a minority from the area then you would understand it and not believe that Mary Tyler Moore and Minnesota nice are reality. 

You do realize that the so called leaders in that neck of the woods are mostly far to the left, and the problems that have persisted under their watch falls entirely on them.

Proof? Who's politically in charge in that city Tessylo?

It sure ain't no right wingers. The slacker Democrats own their own problem.

They should be protecting their citizens instead of coddling criminals

I was speaking of the Minneapolis police department not the politicians. 

The department has a long and documented history of abuse of minorities, especially NA's. going back to the 1950's. AIM was formed there in 1968 to combat police brutality and is still very active there and in cities throughout the US. 

You can enlighten yourself by reading this article. 

reuters

Good one Kavika. I like Greta Van Fleet, but I'd take this.

And lets not forget what de Blasio was thinking of while New York City burned - the Beatles "Imagine!"

Good. Let them police themselves. I'm sure the street gangs will take good care of the neighborhoods. That's what they are for after all right?

Then no security for politicians and take their Radar away

Isn't this just par for the course.  A horrible incident happens and the protests rightfully happen and the people in power vow to fix the problem. And in a couple of months this will all be forgotten by everybody except the immediate families involved.   MSM will bring the story up from time to time for the first few months in order to sell more bandwidth and eventually they will stop. And nothing will change. 

I think everybody agrees that this action was horrible and that the PD does need to change.  Not torn down or disbanded,  but fixed. They need to fix the training, the recruitment and the retention policies to insure that the bad apples are weeded out. And I believe the legal immunity issues need to be tweaked as well.  But I think the most that will happen is that some departments will get their budgets cut as an appeasement to the crowds and within a few years the budgets will be right back to the current levels if not higher.

It's amazing to see cities commit suicide in real time.

It's amazing to see cities commit suicide in real time.

yepp.

You know, a lot of these city counsel meetings are televised.  I think the police should pull protection from the counsel chambers and let the politicians get up close and personal with their constituents.

Bender told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that she envisions replacing a traditional police department with a broader, more holistic public safety department geared toward violence prevention and community services. Social workers or medics could respond to situations once handled by police, she said.

I don't know anyone applauding Chauvin's acts, or similar instances of brutality or excessive use of force. But, talk about pie in the sky. I can only imagine the success the social workers are going to have. If a community wants to try this, the community should vote. All those voting for this should be required to stay. Those against should be allowed to relocate. Anyone not voting at all should be made to stay as well. 

Maybe it will work. I have a hard time believing that. There is a certain element of society that doesn't give a damn about our current law enforcement. What the hell does she think is going to happen when she successfully replaces shields and guns with fanny packs? I don't want to be anywhere near that experiment. I'll take my chances by not breaking the law in a different part of the country.

I'll take my chances by not breaking the law in a different part of the country..

I think that's what most people who have the ability to move will do. 

I don't think many justifying the destruction of businesses and public property have thought what inner city areas are going to look like. Covid has already bankrupted them and the costs from this riot and the long term loss of tax revenue from businesses that never come back will be devastating. People talk about "food deserts" now, wait six months when residents have to travel across the city for needed medicine, let alone food.  

Why in the world would a business reopen in marginal areas, especially if police protection is removed? 

They'd have the social workers to lean on in their time of need.

I don't know anyone applauding Chauvin's acts

I am pretty sure that the KKK, white supremacist organizations, and the die hard southern racists are.  They all need to be put on notice that they are a dying breed and won't be tolerated any longer.

Well, I don't know anyone applauding this. As for numbering the days of racist groups. We can all do what we can to show that they are not welcome, but I don't see how replacing cops with social workers will have any positive impact. 

What if Nick Saban took the same approach. I can see the news conference now. "One of my linemen was caught violating team rules this summer, so I suspended the entire O-line and replaced them with kickers. We've lost every game, been through 3 QBs and 4 RBs, but overall all I continue to believe that this was the right move."

Certainly not saying abusive conduct by cops is right, or even a necessary evil. Clearly not. But the notion that some cardigan wearing social worker is going to positively impact the crime rate is laughable. Criminals don't abide by the law, even under the threat that they will be beaten up or killed by cops, the current law enforcement officers. I get the sense that the social workers are not for criminals, but for the victims. 

I apologize to all social workers for the blanket characterization concerning cardigans. Might just be the majority I have encountered.

It could end up turning out like a line from Demolition Man.

"We're police officers!.  We aren't trained to handle this kind of violence." (Erwin)

A holistic approach to providing public services is certainly an idea worth exploring.  Administrative competition can become an impediment to competent performance of an organization.

As I read the proposal, the idea isn't to do away with police protection but to change the way police protection is administered and managed.  The repeated need for departmental investigation and review does raise serious questions about how law enforcement is being managed.

Organizational restructuring of management isn't unusual or novel.  That's quite common in the private sector.  As I read the proposal, the idea is to apply private sector practices to governmental organizations.  That's not necessarily a bad thing.

I say GO FOR IT MINNEAPOLIS!  Might as well try it in one city before trying to implement it all over the country.                     If it succeeds good for them and other places may try it.  If it fails other cities may be less apt to go for it.

It would also be interesting to see if this would have an affect on gun sales, both for bad actors hoping to possibly take advantage of it or the citizens and small business owners wanting to make sure they can protect themselves and property.

It will also be interesting to see how medics and social workers respond to their expanded roles if they feel it compromises their safety.