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Minneapolis cuts police budget by $8M despite Joe Biden, Barack Obama saying 'defund police' hurt Dems in polls

The Dems lost a few seats in the House and its moderate camp put the blame on the progressives for supporting something like defunding the police

The Democratic Party has found itself under criticism over the ‘defund the police’ slogan that dominated the US’s social and political landscape over the past many months since the brutal death of George Floyd at the hands of the police in Minneapolis on May 25. A number of top leaders of the party, including President-elect Joe Biden and former president Barack Obama, have expressed opinions that the slogan did not help the party’s cause in the congressional contests that took place on November 3. The Dems lost quite a few seats in the House and its moderate camp put the blame on the progressives for supporting something like defunding the police and dismantling police departments in a number of cities. 

But it seems the idea of defunding the police has still not lost its edge. On Thursday, December 10, the Minneapolis City Council (MCC), which is dominated by the Democrats, approved a budget that will slash the police funding by $8 million and despite the city’s crime rates shooting since the death of Floyd. The funds shifted will be used for the prevention of violence and other services. 

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who had issued a threat to veto the entire budget if the council capped police staffing, said the vote was a historic moment for the city which saw the first anti-police protests after the Floyd incident that subsequently saw race riots and violence in major cities of the country. Despite the defunding, Frey's targeted staffing levels for sworn officers will remain intact. “We all share a deep and abiding reverence for the role our local government plays in service of the people of our city. And today, there are good reasons to be optimistic about the future in Minneapolis,” he said.

Minneapolis has seen an alarming rise in crimes

Minneapolis has been witnessing a steep surge in violent crime of late. Police have registered more than 530 gunshot victims’ names this year (as of Thursday) which is more than double recorded in the same period last year. Carjackings and other violent crimes have also gone up alarmingly.

The scenario in the police department is also dim. Around 160 officers are said to have either resigned or gone on leave compared to what it was at the beginning of the year. According to reports, the cops are claiming post-traumatic stress disorder after the long summer of protests and more people are waiting to leave amid retirements and low morale. 

In June, days after the Floyd murder, the MCC voted to remove from the city charter the provision to maintain a police department. The council proposed to replace the police department with a department of community safety and violence prevention that would provide a “holistic, public health-oriented approach” beside a division of law enforcement services. However, in August, the Minneapolis Charter Commission achieved voting, in which it was decided that an additional 90 days will be taken to review the proposal. 

Minneapolis mayor was booed in June

Also in June, Frey was booed by the anti-police voices at a protest in the city after telling demonstrators that he was not in favor of abolishing the city police department. Several videos on social media showed the confrontation which happened when the demonstrators marched to the mayor’s residence and met him to ask if he supported defunding the Minneapolis Police Department. When Frey responded in the negative, he was booed. 

The MCC initially approved a proposal to cut the city’s authorized police force to 750 personnel, down from the current number of 888, starting in another two years’ time. But they changed the course after the mayor called it “irresponsible”. On Wednesday, December 9, the council voted in favor of keeping the cap at 888. 

“Tonight the city council passed a budget that represents a compromise, and also a big step forward into a more compassionate and effective public safety future,” council member Steve Fletcher, co-author of the proposal to lower the cap on staffing, said. He said the city council "cannot afford to remain stuck in the past any longer".

Earlier this week, Biden told civil rights leaders in a long closed-door meeting that ‘defund police’ was the reason why the Democrats experienced losses in congressional races on November 3. “That's how they beat the living hell out of us across the country, saying that we're talking about defunding the police,' Biden said and added that he will set up a commission for thorough police reform.