Majority of Minneapolis City Council pledges to dismantle police department

During a rally on Sunday afternoon, nine members of the Minneapolis City Council announced they intend to dismantle the city's police department, diverting funds to a new public safety system.

In a statement, the council members said that "decades of police reform efforts have proved that the Minneapolis Police Department cannot be reformed, and will never be accountable for its actions," which is why they will "begin the process of ending the Minneapolis Police Department." The Minneapolis City Council has 12 members, and this initiative has a veto-proof supermajority.

The announcement comes nearly two weeks after George Floyd, an unarmed black man, died after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee into Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes. The council members did not give any details on how they will dismantle the department, but did say they will work on developing a new public safety model with members of the community.

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On Saturday night, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said that the city's police department must make several changes, but he does not support completely eliminating it.