Minneapolis residents in November will vote on whether to replace the city's current police force with a "public safety department" which would be focused on a "comprehensive public safety approach" that would include police officers "if necessary to fulfill the department's responsibilities."
The initiative, which was approved for the ballot via a 12-1 vote by the Minneapolis City Council on Friday, was pushed by a new political action committee that is fully funded by leftist billionaire George Soros, a report said.
The group Yes 4 Minneapolis gathered 20,000 petition signatures to place a question on the ballot to amend the city's charter and to replace the police department. Citing campaign finance documents, the Minnesota Reformer reported the group is fueled by a single $500,000 donation from Soros's Open Society Policy Center.
Last year, the Minneapolis City Council unanimously passed a resolution intending to disband the police force and create a new public safety model in response to the death of George Floyd.
Following a year of anti-police rhetoric from top city officials, many police officers resigned from the force.
Violent crime surged in Minneapolis. Carjackings increased 537 percent year-to-date in November 2020. More than 550 people were wounded by gunfire in 2020, exceeding a 100 percent increase over 2019, Minnesota Public Radio reported.
According to city data, there were 82 homicides in 2020, the third-worst year in city history. The Star Tribune reported 97 homicides were recorded in 1995, the worst year on record when the city was given the nickname "Murderapolis," followed by 83 homicides in 1996. In 2019, there were 48 homicides.
INFORMATION WORLD WAR: How We Win . . . . Executive Intelligence Brief
