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Nine city council members voted to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department, responsible for Flloyd’s death. They promise to introduce a new public safety system and support it with the community.
Although Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, when asked if he would shut down the police, is still thinking, his veto would not work: nine votes on the city council are too many.
And City Council chief Lisa Bender emphasized that previous efforts to reform the police have failed: “We promise to review the public security system and make it really protect us.”
Another board member, Jeremiah Ellison, agreed: “Once we complete the transformation, we will not simply paste the department as it was. We are going to fundamentally reconsider our approach to public safety. “
What does this all mean?
Until a few weeks ago, probably no one could have imagined that a large US city. USA He had a connection to dismantle his police department. But then Flloid tragically died: The last minutes of a black man’s life, under pressure from a police officer, were filmed by a passerby.
AFP / Scanpix photo / D. Chauvin presses Flloyd’s neck against the ground
Protests in the United States have spread rapidly, and activists are urging, among other things, urgent reform of the police forces in several states, alleging that officials are behaving too brutally and that the police system is plagued of structural racism.
The 911 emergency number is called primarily for mental health problems and accidents.
The Minneapolis administration has not yet provided details on what the new law enforcement structure will look like, although Bender has already acknowledged that, for now at least, the police department is still operational.
True, L. Bender himself explained that most calls to the short 911 emergency number are due to mental health issues and accidents, so it is in these areas that most funds will be allocated.
In practice, this means that more funds should be given not to the police but to psychologists and drug addicts. There should be fewer police officers, but fewer, and the police will no longer communicate with the community in the event of a crisis.
Is that what activists demand?
“Take the money from the police!”
VIDEO: Violent protests in the United States continue to cause chaos: what sparked public anger: causes and consequences
Many activists say the police will continue to operate and appear to support the police reform initiated by the United States Democratic Party, the Justice at Work Bill.
According to the protesters, the budgets of the police departments really need to be reduced and the funds directed towards poverty reduction and the fight against mental problems and addictions.
Police dispatched armored cars, used powerful weapons and tear gas in recent weeks against protesters.
Experts point out that the police in the United States now have to deal with unfamiliar situations: officials must go after the homeless, resolve domestic conflicts, go to school, and discipline children. Dangerous or even fatal confrontations are often inevitable.
Some proposals have already been made to the Minneapolis authorities. For example, police officers would be required to carry a certificate of liability insurance and more complex incidents would be investigated by an independent agency.
AFP / Photo by Scanpix / Minneapolis Police Officers
Furthermore, police mental health checks would be mandatory and the community would be involved in negotiations with the police union.
In the United States, about 10 million arrests. Most African Americans are arrested, but only a small proportion are arrested for serious crimes.
In the United States, there is also talk of the possibility of demilitarizing the police, who in recent weeks sent armored vehicles against protesters, used powerful weapons and tear gas. It is desirable that officers can reduce tensions more effectively.
As already mentioned, the reform package has been presented by the Democratic leaders of the USA. And some cities are already talking about change.
Reuters / Scanpix Photo / Mayor Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, for example, says he will consider taking 150 million from the police. Although he approved a city budget a few days ago, he is spending more money on the police than before.
Is Minneapolis the first such city?
There has been no anger in the United States prior to anger over the shooting of people, especially African Americans. Police officers in many states have been using film cameras on their bodies for several years to record their behavior.
But critics say such measures are not enough: the police remain brutal and the deaths do not decrease. Furthermore, officials accused of human death are often acquitted or avoided from being sent behind bars.
Reuters / Photo by Scanpix / Minneapolis Police Officers
The city of Camden in New Jersey, which until relatively recently was called the most dangerous in the entire United States, has undergone more extensive reforms.
There, the local police department was dismantled in 2013, and district officials were called to ask for help.
It is difficult to implement reforms across the United States, where there are as many as 18,000. Police Departments Both pro-police legislators and influential police unions oppose it.
They were told to communicate as actively as possible with the community, situation reduction exercises were carried out, and a rule was introduced that force would be used only when there was absolutely no other way out.
The results have been impressive, with complaints of police behavior in Camden having decreased by as much as 95% since 2014.
On the other hand, it is much more difficult to implement such reforms across the United States, which has as many as 18,000. Police Departments Both pro-police legislators and influential police unions oppose it.
Is the situation in the United States worse than elsewhere?
It’s popular to say that there are even fewer crimes in the United States than in other Western countries, but at least police work methods in the United States may be questionable.
Statistics show that in the US In the US, arrested or detained police officers die on average up to six times as many people as in the UK.
In 2018, the US Police USA He fatally shot or wounded about 1,000. people. There were eleven of those deaths in Germany that year and eight in Australia.
In addition, many more people are arrested and jailed in the United States. More than 2 million people are currently incarcerated in the United States. people.
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