Minneapolis voters will be offered a chance to amend their city charter on Nov. 2 to end the Minneapolis Police Department, creating a new Minneapolis Department of Public Safety instead.
Most importantly, according to reports, the charter would no longer require funding a minimum number of officers in Minneapolis — at least 1.7 employees per 1,000 residents.
Important reforms have followed George Floyd's unconscionable killing in May 2020, including bans on chokeholds across the country and requirements that police render aid.
But some activists have used Floyd's death to pursue a more radical agenda, which has fallen under the umbrella term, "Defund the Police." Initially that term was a rallying cry. Now, it is seen as an extreme idea, with even national Democrats in Washington decrying its use.
But the words are not the problem. The policy is the problem.
As Minneapolis voters consider whether to vote "Yes" or "No" on their charter amendment, perhaps my hometown — Austin, Texas — can serve as a cautionary tale.
In August 2020, our mayor and City Council voted 11-0 to cut up to one-third of the police budget ($150 million out of a $450 million budget). They immediately cut $20 million and gave themselves the authority to move the rest of the $130 million to any program they wished. They've moved at least $65 million so far.
While it is undeniable that some funding went to good purposes like domestic abuse prevention, the deeper consequences of this policy shift have been dramatic.
