Minneapolis Board Blocks Police Reform Measure From November Ballot

Minneapolis has been at the epicenter of calls to reform American policing since a now-fired white police officer kneeled on the neck of George Floyd for about 8 minutes on Memorial Day, killing him.

Along with the nationwide protests that sprang up came repeated chants to “defund the police,” or dramatically re-imagine the way policing is done in the U.S., especially in major cities and communities of color.

The change the Minneapolis City Council had proposed would require alterations to the city’s charter, but charter commission members complained in an online meeting Wednesday that the council’s measure was vague, would put the council in charge of the department, could possibly run afoul of state law, and could potentially end up leaving with city with the same police bargaining unit and officers as are in place now.

The commission was voting on a plan, written by five City Council members, that would end the requirement to maintain a police department with a minimum force based on the city’s population, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune; in its place, the city would be required to set up a Department of Community Safety & Violence Prevention that would prioritize “a holistic, public health-oriented approach,” that could include a division with police officers, but wouldn’t be required to do so.

Several commissioners mentioned a past legal case that held that abolishing a public service department does not absolve a community of the need to negotiate with a bona fide bargaining unit and Chairman Barry Clegg said the commission needs more time “to come up with an amendment that will not violate Minnesota law [and] to add enough detail so that voters retain their control over what law-enforcement looks like in Minneapolis.”

The 90-day study period means it will be impossible for voters to decide on a charter change this November.