When Gov. Walz and the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul hesitated to immediately shut down the rioting last summer, it sent a message to criminals across the state and nation: lawlessness will be tolerated and criminals won’t be held accountable.
The result? Violent crimes like murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault increased 21% last year in Minneapolis and 25% in St. Paul. Meanwhile, the number of police officers is declining, at a time we need them the most.
We, the undersigned, support Minnesota’s law enforcement. We call on leaders in Minneapolis, St. Paul and towns across Minnesota to make public safety their city’s top priority.
We stand with residents of the Twin Cities who are living in fear, who have witnessed homicides, shootings, armed robberies, and violent carjackings in their neighborhoods daily. Residents of Minnesota’s cities and towns must be able to count on their local government to vigorously defend their laws, protect their rights, and provide for their basic safety. We need the police!
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Attacks on the Police
“Defunding the police needs to happen and it needs to start now. There is no path forward with reform. Without consequences, the culture of policing in America will not change. […] [I] will continue to work towards a world without the need for policing.” — Willy Lee, City Council candidate
“We are going to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department. And when we’re done, we’re not simply gonna glue it back together. We are going to dramatically rethink how we approach public safety and emergency response. It’s really past due.” — Council Member Jeremiah Ellison
“Not only do we need to disinvest from police, but we need to completely dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department.” — Congresswoman Ilhan Omar
“Our city council has committed to dismantling the police department, but we need to make sure this vision does not get watered down, replaced with reforms…” — Peter VanKoughnett, MPD150
“I think that defunding is on the path to abolishing and is a very necessary step in the process, and ultimately is the thing that is needed to abolish the police.” — Kandace Montgomery, Black Visions Collective
Make Your Voice Heard!
Add your name to the list of Minnesotans who support the police and our law enforcement professionals.
Minneapolis police say at least seven people were wounded during a shootout in Uptown early Thursday. The challenge now is determining whether those shot were suspects, targets or innocent bystanders. https://t.co/rVr2hS1DmQ pic.twitter.com/8HIvdL0DgF
— KARE 11 (@kare11) August 26, 2021