Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka told “Fox & Friends Weekend” on Sunday that he believes the plan by Minneapolis City Council members to dismantle police departments “has absolutely no no sense”.
“In Minneapolis-St. Paul, we had over a thousand buildings damaged or destroyed in the riot because there weren’t enough police here, and what do they want to do? They want to dismantle or dismantle the police,” said Gazelka, a Republican. absolutely no sense, the direction they are trying to take. “
Gazelka made the comments two days after members of the City Council voted unanimously to amend the city’s statute to remove the mandate of a police department, the first step to dissolve it following the death of George Floyd.
The amendment proposed that the city replace the police department with a Department of Community Safety and Violence Prevention, “which will be responsible for public safety services prioritizing a holistic approach to public health,” reads a draft. of the amendment.
The proposal added that the director of the new agency would have “non-police experience in community security services, including but not limited to public health and / or restorative justice approaches.” He also suggested establishing a division of licensed peace officers who would report to the department director.
Democrats have controlled the Minneapolis area for more than a generation and you have to wonder why. Why are they pointing the finger at everyone else? Gazelka asked on Sunday. “I went down to several of these communities and a lot of people there want the police, they want the police there.”
THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF MINNEAPOLIS WHO SWEARED NOT TO CALL THE POLICE AFTER FLOYD’S DEATH IS ALREADY TRIALED WITH A HOMELESS CHARM OF 300 FORT
He added: “You have to ask: why do they want to get rid of the police when it is not better for citizens to do that?”
Gazelka continued: “You cannot stop anarchy without defending the law, and for that you have to have police officers.”
He said reform was needed instead of dismantling the police.
Although the amendment received a 12-0 vote from council members, it faces an uphill battle as it makes its way before a policy committee and the city’s Charter Commission for a formal review, time in which citizens and city officials could also comment.
If successful, the amendment will appear on the November ballot for a vote in the general election.
Pressure to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department increased after the death of Floyd, an unarmed black man who died in police custody on May 25 after an officer was seen kneeling on his neck for several minutes.
“I think you have a police department that needs reform, they have a reputation for being a little tough, and that’s part of the reason why we talked about the throttling ban and making sure that police officers, if they are witnesses of another police officer doing something, to stop them. And we agree to add community members to the police board, “said Gazelka.
Several members of the Minneapolis City Council who have reportedly received death threats following calls to remove the police after Floyd’s death have been assigned private security details. The details reportedly cost the city $ 4,500 a day in taxpayer dollars.
According to information obtained by Fox News, the city has spent $ 63,000 on private security in the past three weeks.
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The City Council did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment.
Fox News’s Caitlin McFall, Vandana Rambraran and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
