June 7, 2020

"A veto-proof majority of the Minneapolis City Council pledged on Sunday to dismantle the city’s Police Department."

The NYT reports.
Saying that the city’s current policing system could not be reformed, the council members stood before hundreds of people who gathered late in the day on a grassy hill, and signed a pledge to begin the process of taking apart the Police Department as it now exists.
I don't see how this can possibly be done. It sounds like madness. There is some ray of rationality in "to begin the process" and "taking apart the Police Department as it now exists."

Maybe it's a slow process and they take it apart but they put it back together again in a form that's just different from the way it now exists. Maybe it's just a new way to say reform.
Council members said in interviews on Sunday that they did not have specific plans to announce for what a new public safety system for the city would look like. They promised to develop plans by working with the community, and said they would draw on past studies, consent decrees and reforms to policing across the nation and the world.
So they have no plan or even a general idea of what it is, but they pledge to do it. I imagine a lot of Minneapolis people are alarmed and anxious but won't say too much about all this.

ADDED: "Dismantle" is an interesting word. Especially in this context, it makes me think of the famous essay title "The Master's Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master's House." And did you know that the original meaning of the word is "to divest of a mantle or cloak; to uncloak" (OED)? The extended meaning is "To render (fortifications, or the like) useless for their purpose; to pull down, take to pieces, destroy, raze."

197 comments:

alanc709 said...

They'll hire Antifa to police the city until a new force can be recruited. Or maybe Somali "technicals" since they want to be a 3rd world city.

Arashi said...

Okey dokey. So now when you call 911, and the machine says sorry, we cannot respond to the murder\death\kill that is ocurring at your location because there is no police force, do you then call 119 and get the social worker who tells you to just submit if your are white?

This ends with warlords and tacticals, and a society where a decent AK costs 50 bucks US - but if you are quick you can get one a lot cheaper if the current owner is not in a state to argue. Buying the ammunition can be difficult, but hey at least there ain't no damn police and their violence to keep you down.

Can they try it out in their neighborhood first?

rcocean said...

They're going to dismantle it, but haven't thought up an actual y'know plan. So what did they actually pledge to do?

And I'm not a lawyer, but don't citizens have a right to police protection? I mean, judges have created "rights" for everything else. And wouldn't any plan have to be approved by the Governor? And isn't Minneapolis getting lots of State and Federal $$ to run its police department and do certain law enforcement tasks? What happens to that money if the PD is "dismantled".

I'm assuming what this "New Minneapolis PD" will have is a lot of Left-wing Pols in charge making sure that the Police's first priority is following the Party Line one very issue and not preventing and solving crimes.

Bay Area Guy said...

Think about the madness of the Left:

1. Floyd was killed by an inept and/or malicious cop, Chauvin.

In response,

2. Chauvin was arrested, and is charged with murder;
3. Floyd's family will get millions in civil lawsuit.
4. Nobody black or white supports what the cop did.

and yet

5. Minneapolis was burned and looted
6. Cities across the country were burned and looted.
7. At least 4 cops/agents were murdererd
8. Minneapolis, LA & NYC want to defund their police departments, which will enable much more worse crime against blacks and whites.

You really gonna vote Democrat in the Fall?

rcocean said...

In Europe and the UK, parts of cities are turned over to the local Muslims for policing and dealing out justice according to Sharia law. Maybe that's what Minneapolis will do. Lots of Somalia refugees there.

Tina Trent said...

Nobody dares say a word back at them. And so it begins. They're not cultural Maoists: they're Maoist Maoists.

Lawrence Person said...

Social Justice is a sick religion.

In Minneapolis, what they'll probably accomplish is get a lot of people killed, a lot of shops looted, and Minnesota flipped to Trump in November.

wild chicken said...

And our copycat city council will want to jump on the bandwagon. Nothing the lefties do is original.

But first we need to get more Diversity here so we can have an incident.

RK said...

New uniforms!

IgnatzEsq said...

From St. Paul, I'm sure the city here will follow suit as it does whatever Minneapolis does, just a bit later and usually with even less thought and analysis.

And yes, wife and I are now planning on moving us and the little ones out in the next 6-18 months. Due to COVID my job is likely be to available as work from home, though the wife's won't be.

Would honestly appreciate advice on better places. Is the suburbs far enough, or should we move much further? Am also interested in if Althouse ever had contenders on where her & Meade wanted to move (I remember some posts along those lines from a year or two ago).

gspencer said...

What's in Minneapolis today is in Madison tomorrow.

rcocean said...

This is off topic by its so funny on so many levels:

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) joined a group of nearly 1,000 Christians marching toward the White House on Sunday.

Asked why it was important for him to be out protesting, Romney told NBC News: “We need a voice against racism, we need many voices against racism and against brutality. And we need to stand up and say that black lives matter."


LOL! Super-cuck strikes again. Thanks Utah for giving us the comic relief.

Michael P said...

I see this as an end run around the Contracts clause. States, or their subdivisions like cities, cannot "impair[] the Obligation of Contracts". Police unions have extraordinary strong contracts, and those contracts themselves (usually) make it impractical to get any law enforcement officer to cross a picket line during contract negotiations.

As a result, cities who want to really clean house have few alternatives to what Camden, NJ did: Dissolve their city police department, and use the police department of a different subdivision within the state, even if that police department did not exist six months before.

I'm Not Sure said...

If the Minneapolis city council has the power to dismantle the city’s police department, that would mean they're responsible for the police department. If so, failings of the police department are ultimately the responsibility of the city council. Perhaps the city council should consider dismantling itself.

Michael K said...

I am convinced that, somehow, U Haul is subsidizing this craziness on the part of Democrat cities. I may have to check with the U Haul dealer in Tucson to be sure there is no contract from Minneapolis to Tucson available We have enough crazies already. College town and all.

Wince said...

As with the destruction of the NYT from within, what if these leftist set the precedent for the destruction of public employee unions?

IgnatzEsq said...

Also, based on the fact that other in city jurisdictions like parks, schools & universities have already cut ties with the Minneapolis Police Department, they kind of have to get rid of it and replace it with the "not police", since we do need someone to play the same roles the police in parks, schools and universities too. This is one way to do it.

gilbar said...

maybe they mean, the Minneapolis Police won't wear uniforms anymore
hmmm? Plain-clothes ? or STARK NAKED

RK said...

If you have a shoot a home invader, then there won't be any cops to come and arrest you.

Wayne Wilson said...

Can you say Mogadishu.

Howard said...

Reform sounds cosmetic dismantle sounds like they're going to make a new structure. That kind of structural concept is not very available to the female mind according to r H hardin.

The times they Are A-Changin so radically that even a die-hard dinosaur Dylan fan can't stand it

ccscientist said...

There are some towns that had corrupt cops and fired everyone and started over. Not the same thing. "dismantle" sounds like getting rid of it, which is what the "defund" movement is about. Sure, no cops--what could go wrong?

Michael said...

I am sure the city of Minneapolis will do fine without a police force. Worth a try for a few months. Not sure about gun laws up there but that could make a difference. Also those Bulky steering wheel locks Can make a comeback. Absolutely the best city for this experiment. The best.

Spiros Pappas said...

I would have get big money that Minneapolis was going to raise taxes to fund a beefed up police and fire departments. I'm genuinely surprised.

steve uhr said...

It will dismantle itself as good cops go elsewhere and nobody applies to fill the holes.

Jupiter said...

Not so fast there. Law Enforcement can play a constructive role in the Black community.

Martin said...

It's called "pandering." Probably better than having the mob burn down the city.

The real shame is that the Minneapolis city govt doesn't have any concrete steps to announce, so they foist this on the public as if it is a plan, hoping to buy time.

They have a huge problem that has been around for decades and not a clue what to do about it. THAT is sick.

gilbar said...

can Milwaukee hurry up and do this too? Before the (virtual) demo con?

whitney said...

My guess is it's going to look like Somalia. Soon.

johns said...

I think there will be a diverse group of non-binary individuals who will be available to the public for discussion of "issues." They will probably wear white Guayaberas, so as to be recognizable as representing the city. This garment does not show any bulge if you pack a 9MM stuck in your belt.

Gahrie said...

In a way, Minneapolis is actually very lucky. It has a very large population of people who are quite used to living in a place without a functioning police force. They might even feel more comfortable living that way.

Renee said...

So much for the residents input.

Gahrie said...

I'm sure fare fewer people will be killed while committing a crime if you get rid of the police. /s

wendybar said...

So progressive!!!

Gahrie said...

Would honestly appreciate advice on better places. Is the suburbs far enough, or should we move much further?

I've been watching a lot of homestead farming videos on YouTube lately.

RichardJohnson said...

Democrats have been in charge of Minneapolis and thus the Minneapolis PD for nearly 60 years. If Minneapolis Democrats haven't gotten the PD right in 60 years, it is rather doubtful that any subsequent policy changes Democrats parade out will get it right, either.

Bilwick said...

Bane approves.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Michael K at 6:50pm. The Uhaul theory is plausible and funny too!

n.n said...

Planned Police. It's a lefty thing. So are witch hunts, warlock judgments, and running amuck. They need to deny their nature and return to a convention of rational and reasonable.

Mark said...

So Minneapolis is anti-union now?

I assume the cops there have a collective bargaining agreement.

Mark said...

In any event, I foresee (call for) an immediate strike by the police -- or blue flu of the entire force if you like.

Drago said...

Tina Trent: "Nobody dares say a word back at them. And so it begins. They're not cultural Maoists: they're Maoist Maoists."

They are Mau Mauing Maoist Maoists.

Rob said...

The one thing that might make sense, though most likely not what the city council had in mind, is to use the abolition of the MPD to get the city out of the contracts it entered into with the police union, which probably included very generous pension and disability provisions and made it difficult to get rid of bad cops. By either creating a new police entity or contracting with Hennepin County to provide police services, Minneapolis might be able to save money and get better control over policing.

Dan in Philly said...

If they mean to deunionize and restart the police like they have in Camden NJ, why not?

Megaera said...

Gonna be quite a run on armored vehicles up there -- maybe the MPD will be having a fire sale on their milspec surplus - sort of a "going out of business" sale ...

n.n said...

Floyd was on drugs. Floyd was capable of exercising disparate strength. Floyd was SARS-CoV-2+, a probably spreader, and physically compromised. Was "excessive" use of force justified? Was he a threat to himself or the officer? Are the warlock judges ("protestors") justified to cause excess burdens across the nation?

That said, justice for Dorn et al, #HateLovesAbortion

NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...

They will do what Camden, NJ did when they disbanded the Camden City PD in favor of the Camden County PD. They will set the date of disbandment to be the same day their new police force goes active and the the new PD will hire any currently serving MPD officers that they want to retain. The new PD will have already been set up by a few key people from the old PD and new hires, most likely from out of town. That way the get rid of bad actors and the union can't do anything about it.

Of course that will probably trigger more riots, but hey, it's not like they haven't asked for it.

YoungHegelian said...

Then again, maybe it's just a means of making way for the Red Guards.

Mark said...

I'm not a lawyer, but don't citizens have a right to police protection?

No. Ask poor Joshua DeShaney. 489 U.S. 189

n.n said...

re: warlock judgment. There is no evidence that diversity was a motive. Follow due process. Deny irrational, em-pathetic, politically convenient (PC) progress.

Dave Begley said...

The real estate values in MPLS just dropped 20%.

No plan, eh? How about a Committee on Public Safety run by BLM and Antifa?

My oldest daughter lives in Minneapolis. This is serious. The Governor will have to stop this.

Sally327 said...

I think it will be interesting to see what they plan to do about the pension and other accrued benefits since dismantling isn't going to allow the City to avoid its existing liabilities I wouldn't think, which I am assuming that financial burden would extend well into the future whether the department as it's presently constituted continues to exist or not.

I read an interesting article elsewhere (The Federalist) about how there will be "enforcement" of some kind, that some sort of power force will emerge because that's what has always happened throughout history, it just won't be answerable to any sort of governing authority. I think that's what already happens in the "no go" areas in certain European cities and even some cities here, in the parts of a city that we're supposed to pretend are actually under law enforcement's control but aren't really.

chuck said...

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) joined a group of nearly 1,000 Christians marching toward the White House on Sunday.

That's hilarious. What has the White House to do with effed up Democrat cities? Mitt, suckered by his own vanity.

Drago said...

rcocean: "LOL! Super-cuck strikes again. Thanks Utah for giving us the comic relief."

The Mittster didn't just say he support black lives matter, he made it clear he supports Black Lives Matter, the organization.

Which means the never-trump, "muh principles", "need to respect the norms", "true conservative" is now officially on record in support of an explicitly marxist, anti-capitalist radical organization which is also explicitly pro-abortion.

This is on top of Mitt already coming out in favor of the Green Nude Eel.

And I'll make this prediction again: If the dems fail to take the Senate by one seat, I guarantee Mitt will switch to the democrat party.

Without question.

He knows he has already completely burned his state and he'll never win re-election (he wont even bother running again) so he has nothing but the praise and adoration of the dems to look forward to....and he'll take it.

That will be right around the time Paul Ryan and his crew will have effectively transformed Fox News into CNN. The news side is already just about 75% of the way there.

The Bergall said...

One reap's what you sow............

Fools

Drago said...

Wayne Wilson: "Can you say Mogadishu."

No doubt. And there's plenty of Ilhan Omar types there to make it happen. Mohammed Noor can tell you what "target practice" in Minneapolis is all about.

rehajm said...

If you have a shoot a home invader, then there won't be any cops to come and arrest you.

If you start shooting people just for fun, then there won't be any cops to come and arrest you.

NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...

Whoops! Looks like Michael P beat me to the punch, darn it. But he is correct; it is an end run around the unions and from what I've seen based on a bit of research MPD is pretty dysfunctional.

Jupiter said...

Wouldn't it make more sense for them to resign?

n.n said...

They can replace it with KKK of Democrats past or social (i.e. relativistic) justice present.

RMc said...

Perhaps the city council should consider dismantling itself.

Would it not in that case be simpler
for the government
To dissolve the people
And elect another?

Unknown said...

H.L. Mencken once said, "Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard."

Go for it, Minneapolis!

Jarby said...

I am a public school teacher in a county where--like all school systems in the U.S.--black students systemically underperform, face suspension, and fail to graduate on time. Students in public schools across the country are molested, abused, and maleducated, and again, black students face these problems at a much higher rate.

When are public school systems set to be dismantled?

robother said...

I admire the prescience of the Minneapolis family that named its chain of stores "Target." I hope they are well-stocked with flat-screen TVs, as undocumented purchasers tend to get touchy (torchy?) when inventory runs low.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

from a tweet:

This will enable communities to establish Sharia Law in their neighborhoods.

mikee said...

I, for one, expect to be on the Committee for Public Safety, not standing in irons before it.
So do the members of the City Council. Man, if I'm on the CPS, they Council is going to hang.

alan markus said...

If I were younger and had top notch social media web skills, I would be working on some kind of click-bait pages - "List of Shithole Cities to Not Live In" & "List of Cities Becoming Shitholes to Move Out of - Now."

LakeLevel said...

I should really get into private security right about now. There are some huge companies are headquartered in the Twin Cities: 3M, United Health, General Mills/Pillsbury, US Bank, Target, Best Buy, Cargill. Also, Medtronic and Wells Fargo might as well be headquartered there. Get your carry permit and become a private security contractor and you will find well paid work. Also your employer will probably back you up in case of a mistake or problem.

PM said...

That's just how serious they are, man.
And next are the racist judges.

Clyde said...

Burn, baby, burn.

Mr. D said...

I live just north and east of Minneapolis, inside the 494/694 loop. There are a lot of Fortune 500 companies up here and I suspect you’re going to start hearing from them shortly. The people who run Target, Medtronic and United Health aren’t going to start paying the Danegeld.

Stephen said...

When the Camden, NJ police force was disbanded in 2013, that action cancelled the police union contract (see Marginal Revolution blog, "Revisiting Camden" post), so there may be method in Minneapolis' supposed madness. Camden re-created its police force, and crime statistics improved.

Clyde said...

Bay Area Guy said...

...

You really gonna vote Democrat in the Fall?


Yes, they're really gonna vote Democrat in the fall, because they have IQs below room temperature.

Plus, Orange Man Bad!

Sebastian said...

"So they have no plan or even a general idea of what it is"

They do have a general idea: to destroy any sense of security, create the conditions for more conflict, force the contradictions and foment a race/class struggle, and then carry out a revolution for real.

You say you keep looking. Now it's a matter of seeing what you are looking at.

jimbino said...

You can dismantle a Christmas tree and put the same damn thing up next Christmas. In fact, regular dismantling, only to await contingent rebuilding, might be a good idea for things like Obamacare, Social Security and Medicare. I can't wait to find out whether the current dismantling of our educational system will turn out to be a good thing or not. It will save a lot of money, some of which could be spent more realistically on mere babysitting.

jimbino said...

You can dismantle a Christmas tree and put the same damn thing up next Christmas. In fact, regular dismantling, only to await contingent rebuilding, might be a good idea for things like Obamacare, Social Security and Medicare. I can't wait to find out whether the current dismantling of our educational system will turn out to be a good thing or not. It will save a lot of money, some of which could be spent more realistically on mere babysitting.

Not Sure said...

Shouldn't take long for private protection services to hire a bunch of ex-cops, who will be able to do whatever the fuck they want to whoever they feel like fucking with. Not entirely clear this has been well thought-out by the lefties.

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...

"Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth." --M. Tyson

...so let's skip the plan part, and go straight to the mouth-punch.

Sebastian said...

"This ends with warlords and tacticals"

Do all the Somalis who escaped really want that?

Perhaps. There'll be money to be made, and they have the skillz.

LA_Bob said...

Michael P said, "As a result, cities who want to really clean house have few alternatives..."

Of all the commentary, Michael P's comment suggests there might actually be a city strategy other than just...capitulate to the "protesters". My question: Are the Minneapolis city council critters savvy enough to think in these terms?

For the Minneapolis public, the next city council meeting should be quite interesting.

JackWayne said...

You know it’s a fucking scam. Why do you pretend to be neutrally cruel?

Joe Bar said...

If they don't eliminate the police union, it's all for naught.

Greg the class traitor said...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Minneapolis_City_Council_election

Next election is 2021

Which means that anyone who wants to oppose this is going to have to vote for Trump in November. And / or maybe opposed Democrat Tina Smith in the US Senate

DanTheMan said...

The solution is obvious. No white police officers. And probably no Asian ones, either, just to be safe.
No police shootings or brutality will be racially motivated,by definition.

And any white person that objects is a racist, so there's no legitimate objection.

Greg the class traitor said...

IgnatzEsq said...
From St. Paul, I'm sure the city here will follow suit as it does whatever Minneapolis does, just a bit later and usually with even less thought and analysis.

Would honestly appreciate advice on better places.


Move someplace where the House Rep has flipped from D to R. Either in 2018, or after this election

Yancey Ward said...

If it weren't the Minneapolis council, I might just assume the pledge is just fake, but these people are idiots, so they may be serious about dismantling it entirely.

Paul Zrimsek said...

I can't tell whether they're assuming Hennepin County can take up the slack, or it's pure Underpants Gnomes.

Tommy Duncan said...

We can expect to see Toyota Hilux trucks with bed mounted .50 caliber machine guns in Minneapolis after this passes. Vikings fans will need to learn how to recognize "kill zones" and IED's in the parking lots. Razor wire fences will become all the rage in Minnetonka as the effects spill into the suburbs.

Michael K said...

Is the suburbs far enough, or should we move much further?

I would suggest South Dakota. Similar climate but a bit milder. A great Governor although she might be a 2024 GOP candidate. My uncle was a GP in Milbank for 50 years. Great guy and liked the town. Good pheasant hunting. Watch out for them driving; more are killed by cars than hunters. Stay away from Democrat Governors.

Bill, Republic of Texas said...

Defund the FBI, DEA, ATF and cut the CIA, NSA and other IC agencies by 2/3.

Jupiter said...

"It sounds like madness."

Madness? Or Madison?

cronus titan said...

IT's wrong, but the Schadenfreude of Minneapolis woke idiots dismantling the police would be delicious. We saw what happened when the police gave the space for one night to protest and it turned into a riot, complete with looting arson, assaults, etc. Give them a month, and it will be a dystopian wasteland. I do feel for the good citizens there who are trying to build a good life, family, etc. but you may have to accept you have no future there and need to leave.

Greg the class traitor said...

Michael said...
I am sure the city of Minneapolis will do fine without a police force. Worth a try for a few months. Not sure about gun laws up there but that could make a difference.

MN is a "shall issue" State for carry permits. Permit is for carry / concealed carry, open carry is pretty much legal anyplace concealed carry is allowed. If you have a valid carry permit, you can buy a gun with no waiting for a background check.

So, people with carry permits can form a neighborhood watch, and wander around carrying pistols and rifles openly and legally

Automatic_Wing said...

I'm thinking security is going to contracted out to "community organizations". The Black Panthers, Farrakhan's NOI bowtie boys, etc. Maybe some Somali group to patrol Little Mogadishu with technicals. That sort of thing.

Warlordism - it's the progressive alternative.

Yancey Ward said...

At this point, I want to encourage all these blue cities to dismantle their police departments and replace them with social workers. There isn't enough popcorn in the world for these events. I posted this excerpt the other night, but it fits better in this thread:

"No one should prevent them from doing it. We’re long past the point of defending society from the lunatics. There is nothing worth defending now. Let them deal with this gollum they created. It would be endlessly amusing seeing the mob chasing the beautiful people around in their burning neighborhoods. Imagine the cast of the cable chat shows being forced to grovel and plead to a mob of gentle giants. My goodness, that would be the best television those people made in their lifetimes."

Merny11 said...

These sheeple are nuts, Just simply nuts,

cronus titan said...

"I imagine a lot of Minneapolis people are alarmed and anxious but won't say too much about all this."

Damn right they won't. They do not have the numbers to influence an election and if they do speak the mob will demand their scalp or burn their home down. Best to be quiet and plan to get out.

RBE said...

Guess nobody is singing "Love is all around" in Minneapolis.

AllenS said...

There are a lot of good black people in Minneapolis, and they know who the bad guys are in the hood. Without worrying about the police arresting them, expect to see a lot of bloodshed in the hood immediately. I've entertained the idea for quite a while, that without the police there would be an exceptional amount of dead people quickly, lasting for about a year. By then there won't be a lot of bad guys left.

Fandor said...


Do you think that the left is trying to provoke a takeover by vigilante groups (boogiwoogie boys?) from the extreme right? If the
Extremist vigilantes took matters into their Own hands...more dangerous riots and an election issue of mega proportions!

narciso said...


Theres a particular context here:

https://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/2019/02/21/family-matters-how-a-us-member-of-congress-was-raised-by-the-red-green-axis/

Temujin said...

The key phrase here is 'veto proof'. That is, Democrats. They have the mayor, the council, the governor, and the state legislature. This is what they do. You can look at every failed state, every failed city in this country, and it's Democrats in power.

This is not some vague concept. These are Democrats tearing apart Minnesota, in the streets, in the city offices, and in the state house.

They can do something about it or they can reap the results of their going along with it. The socialists/Democrats could give two craps about Black America. They are after power. And Black Americans are a tool for them. Nothing else.

PB said...

Abolishing the courts will be the next demand.

chickelit said...

Dave Begley said...No plan, eh? How about a Committee on Public Safety run by BLM and Antifa?

Yes: Committee of Public Safety

Eventually, heads will roll!

Jersey Fled said...

As a result, cities who want to really clean house have few alternatives to what Camden, NJ did: Dissolve their city police department, and use the police department of a different subdivision within the state, even if that police department did not exist six months before.

Actually, the new Camden County police force has been a not unexpected success. The old Camden City police force was as corrupt as it was incompetent. An average of 1/3 of the force did not report for duty on any given day. Their contract was an abomination and they were grossly overpaid. You could say that anything would be an improvement, but when was the last time you heard of anything like what happened in Minneapolis happening in Camden? In spite of the fact that Camden is one of the most impoverished cities in the country.

Birkel said...

Royal ass Inga assures me this cannot happen.
She just knows if Comrade Stalin knew about this he would stop it.

Grant said...

Tomorrow: “Minneapolis City Council announces formation of Committee of Public Safety. Danton, Robespierre unavailable for comment.”

Lincolntf said...

Ann Althouse doesn't understand how this kind of thing happens. That is both hilarious and tragic. Because of voters like you, Ann. try to keep up.

Ken B said...

I see a couple people above share my curiosity. Federalism allows experiments. I am open minded enough to to support experiments. In blue cities with blue voters of course. They are already closer to perfection already, and so the experiment is more likely to succeed.

More seriously, Camden NJ replaced its entire department a few years ago, including particularly the union, and saw an improvement.

“Committee of Public Safety” anyone?

Mattman26 said...

“They promised to develop plans by working with the community, and said they would draw on past studies, consent decrees and reforms to policing across the nation and the world.”

Consent decrees. Ugh.

alanc709 said...

"Dave Begley said...
The real estate values in MPLS just dropped 20%.

No plan, eh? How about a Committee on Public Safety run by BLM and Antifa?

My oldest daughter lives in Minneapolis. This is serious. The Governor will have to stop this."

Assumes facts not in evidence. Probably not even likely.

Left Bank of the Charles said...

The tithing and the hundred present an interesting model for community based policing.

hombre said...

Time for a police strike!

stevew said...

They don't propose to spend less, if I understand correctly, they just want to spend it on different things. Will it be better?

narciso said...


Missing the big picture


https://www.jns.org/opinion/the-great-threat-to-america-and-to-american-jewry/

narciso said...

The distinction between this and baghdad


https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/2020/6/6/21282776/city-paying-up-to-1-2-million-to-private-security-firms-to-deter-looting?utm_campaign=

Guildofcannonballs said...

"They are Mau Mauing Maoist Maoists."

Ha.

Butkus51 said...

I used to go to the Minneapolis area for work, maybe 7 miles west of the Mall, Eden Prairie area. Very nice people, too nice (ha, im from chicago). It struck me how proud they were of their welfare system, how progressive they were. Minnesota nice. I laughed inside, my cynical chicago attitude. Both the people I still keep in touch with are both ex-chicagoans and....they cant believe this is happening there.

Jersey Fled said...

It should also be noted that the disbandment and replacement of the Camden City police force was imposed by Chris Chrisite and the Republicans in Trenton.

narciso said...

Consent decrees were the specialty of tom 'tourettes' perez, when he was at the holder civil rights division.

chickelit said...

AllenS said...There are a lot of good black people in Minneapolis, and they know who the bad guys are in the hood. Without worrying about the police arresting them, expect to see a lot of bloodshed in the hood immediately. I've entertained the idea for quite a while, that without the police there would be an exceptional amount of dead people quickly, lasting for about a year. By then there won't be a lot of bad guys left.

It would be a catharsis -- in the original sense of the word: link

Birkel said...

steve uhr cheered the party apparatus that is driving this.

Somehow he thought he would be able to pick and choose the stupidities.
Socialists don't offer cafeteria style plans.

Leftist Collectivists are ignorant and they can all get what they deserve.

Narayanan said...

Expect new budget allocations for studying the issues.

Narayanan said...

looks like they can begin by eliminating position of Mayor

Spiros Pappas said...

Good news for macho men and tough guys. Their value as potential mates will increase in Minneapolis. Women will want their men to protect them.

Narayanan said...

Wince said...
As with the destruction of the NYT from within, what if these leftist set the precedent for the destruction of public employee unions?
----------===========
and that will earn them thanks from a grateful citizenry and nation.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Camden, NJ is basically an impoverished community of only 60,000 across the river from Philly. While Minneapolis is a diverse city of almost 500,000 so any comparison is not apples to apples.

Jupiter said...

A lot of good people are going to get hurt.

gspencer said...

"Abolishing the courts will be the next demand."

Either that or establishing a set of Peoples Courts with a Roland Freisler-like Democrat as the first judge.

Paul said...

So with no cops.... Minneapolis will make Chicago look like paradise.

Go for it liberals!!! Yea.. no cops, no crime, right?

Narayanan said...

as Trump puts it : What have they got to lose?

madAsHell said...

I know I said otherwise just a few days ago, but ammunition, and firearms are suddenly scarce.

Narayanan said...

narciso said...

Theres a particular context here:

https://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/2019/02/21/family-matters-how-a-us-member-of-congress-was-raised-by-the-red-green-axis/
----------===========
narciso - in that article I am seeing repeated refrains of :

The United Nations country profile of Somalia explains: ... etc.

how reliable is that?

Treeamigo said...

Does this mean that a town council can disband any government department, sack everyone, and start from scratch? Good to know - could come in handy with the coming budget shortfalls.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Leftwing power in MN

Minneapolis’s municipal government, its institutions, and its police department are what they are not because of the abstract Hegelian forces of capital-H History, but because of decisions that have been made by people. Who these people are is a matter of public record. We know their names: Jacob Frey, Betsy Hodges, R. T. Rybak, Sharon Sayles Belton, Medaria Arradondo, Janeé Harteau, Tim Walz, Mark Dayton . . . the rogues’ gallery is practically inexhaustible.

But, oh, the transmuting magic of partisanship! Minneapolis is a Democratic city, with a Democratic mayor and a Democratic city council (0.0 Republicans on that body), in a state with a Democratic governor and a Democratic state house; these are the people who hire police chiefs and organize police departments, who specify their procedures and priorities, who write the laws that the police are tasked with enforcing — Democrats and progressives practically to a man. (Not every member of the Minneapolis city council is a Democrat — there’s a Green, too.) That’s a lot of lefty power, hardly anything except lefty power — but, somehow, the bad guy in this story must be Donald Trump.

Narayanan said...

Greg the class traitor said...

MN is a "shall issue" State for carry permits. Permit is for carry / concealed carry, open carry is pretty much legal anyplace concealed carry is allowed. If you have a valid carry permit, you can buy a gun with no waiting for a background check.

So, people with carry permits can form a neighborhood watch, and wander around carrying pistols and rifles openly and legally
---------============

dontcha think : good law abiding liberals should have pristine background and able to get their carry permits in a jiffy in MN - a must issue state MN?

2A supporters should be ecstatic.

The Godfather said...

Look, if I thought this "defund the police" movement in Minneapolis was just a ploy to break the Police Union and fire the existing workforce, after which some of the same folks with clean records would be re-hired by a "new" organization, I'd say fine! Is there any reason to think that the Minn. City Council is savvy enough to carry that off? Some say that it worked in NJ. Used to be said that NJ was run by a bunch of cynical SOBs. Aren't the pols of Minn. better than that?

n.n said...

Minneapolis is a diverse city of almost 500,000 so any comparison is not apples to apples.

Exactly. Diversity (i.e. color judgments), including racism, breeds adversity.

madAsHell said...

If you've lost the first amendment, then try the second!!

We are watching the constitution stretch, and rebound. The men that put this together REALLY understood human nature.

n.n said...

Then again, maybe it's just a means of making way for the Red Guards.

Yes, nationalization, diversity, redistributive change, minority regime... go left, far left. I suppose Planned Parenthood (e.g. one-child) was a trial run for Planned Population, but the order is negotiable. Be a "good American." Forward!

Oso Negro said...

This is just an excellent idea! Eliminate the police! Let's have kin justice and mob rule. The kin and the mob will get it wrong some percentage of the time. Bye and bye we will figure out if it's a higher percentage than the police and the prosecutors. ))) Bonus: Reduced rates of incarceration and lower prison costs.

n.n said...

The sheriff in Salt Lake Count promises a diverse workforce. Color, not limited to skin color, before character. Here's to progress.

DavidUW said...

Minneapolis shall now become North Detroit.

Enjoy your lutefisk.

Lewis Wetzel said...

Without cops the gangs will control Minneapolis. It'll become a growth market for them.
And if have a shop in Minneapolis, and a six foot six man steals cigarettes from my shop, and just crosses the street to smoke them, if I call the police, they'll send a social worker.
This social worker will do what? give the thief some pamphlets about addiction? Maybe sign him up for welfare?

Big Mike said...

What’s the over/under on the number of days before they’re forced to declare martial law in Minneapolis?

bobby said...

1. Announce "disbanding the PD" in order to scare police union into going along with anything short of that.

2. Place each ward's cops under the control of its elected Council Member instead of under one main police chief.

3. Council Member controls hiring and firing, promotions, police review board - in short, Huge Opportunities For Graft!

gadfly said...

I think that the answer here is to visit Prime Video, select the HBO series, "The Wire" and bing- watch all 62 episodes. When this enjoyable task is complete, you will know everything there is to know about how not to run a police department, how not to run public schools and how undependable the media has become. Bing-watching is the name of the game.

Perhaps Minneapolis pols might want to make this their very first step especially if they have been convinced that Urban League has the answers.

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

Spiros Pappas said...
Good news for macho men and tough guys. Their value as potential mates will increase in Minneapolis. Women will want their men to protect them.

6/7/20, 8:54 PM

Liberal betas with man buns and skinny jeans will find out that snarky quips are not of much use during a home invasion.

They can always try taking a knee and groveling. "I'm on your side!"

Birkel said...

No justice; no peace.

Notice the threat contained in that chant? They mean they will make your life less peaceful until they get their demented version of justice. And they mean that shit. They're not screwing around.

Innocent people will get hurt? Yeah. That's the Leftist Collectivist promise.

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

Steven Pinker was a teen in Montreal in 1969 when the police there went on strike. Bear in mind, this happened in famously dull Canada, not an American city:

“As a young teenager in proudly peaceable Canada during the romantic 1960s, I was a true believer in Bakunin’s anarchism. I laughed off my parents’ argument that if the government ever laid down its arms all hell would break loose.

“Our competing predictions were put to the test at 8:00 A.M. on October 17, 1969, when the Montreal police went on strike. By 11:20 A.M. the first bank was robbed. By noon most downtown stores had closed because of looting.

Within a few more hours, taxi drivers burned down the garage of a limousine service that competed with them for airport customers, a rooftop sniper killed a provincial police officer, rioters broke into several hotels and restaurants, and a doctor slew a burglar in his suburban home.

“By the end of the day, six banks had been robbed, a hundred shops had been looted, twelve fires had been set, forty carloads of storefront glass had been broken, and three million dollars in property damage had been inflicted, before city authorities had to call in the army and, of course, the Mounties to restore order.”

Lewis Wetzel said...

Imagine all the rich, "woke" people that will flock to Minneapolis once they know it has no police!

Openidname said...

"Mr. D said...

"The people who run Target, Medtronic and United Health aren’t going to start paying the Danegeld."

They're going to hire private security guards while trying to get out of their leases.

bagoh20 said...

You think you have brutality now? Just wait until you see how much brutality the police prevented once they they are gone. The people paying the bills in Minneapolis are planning there escape from the killing fields right now.

bagoh20 said...

Next, Madison Wisconsin, becuase Democrats gotta pose.

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

Fandor said...

Do you think that the left is trying to provoke a takeover by vigilante groups (boogiwoogie boys?) from the extreme right?"

Think of the stereotype of the "extreme right." Rednecks holed up in rural America with their guns and pickup trucks. Now, why would those good ole boys go rushing to the aid of liberal city-dwellers who despise them by becoming vigilantes? A few really dumb ones might, but most are going to stay in rural America with their guns and watch the show on TV. As long as Antifa stays out of their neck of the woods, they have no reason to go on a crusade. Why risk your neck trying to prevent leftists from destroying themselves?

Openidname said...

"IgnatzEsq said...

"Would honestly appreciate advice on better places."

I'm in California. It's just a matter of time before the madness gets here.

So I'm looking at Texas. My daughter's in Austin, which is famously liberal -- "the blueberry in the tomato soup." Maybe someplace a few hours' drive away from Austin.

I was also looking at emigration last night. Singapore is nice, but you have to be a multi-millionaire to get in. New Zealand is a maybe.

DeepRunner said...

The mob is winning. And virtue-signaling pols are in on it. Let's hope none of them need a cop when they're done with their dismantling.

Reform is needed, yes, a million times yes. Reflexive radicalism is not the answer.

LakeLevel said...

The population of Minneapolis and Saint Paul combined is only 725,000 out of 3.5 million in the metro area. That's 20%. None of this crap is going on outside the crazy core. Also the State Senate is still controlled by the Republicans. Don't believe the hype.

BlackjohnX said...

For anyone considering moving away from democratic cities and states (as am I, I live in Nevada which has been over run by Californians bringing their politics with them), suggest you think in terms of taxes and balanced budgets in any locale you may be considering. The following link: http://www.tax-rates.org/taxtables/income-tax-by-state is a good place to start. I am looking at Northern Florida. Our democrat governor and legislature are probably going to impose an income tax and a miles per year driven tax in the next session...or at least lay the groundwork to do so as soon thereafter as possible.

Original Mike said...

""A veto-proof majority of the Minneapolis City Council pledged on Sunday to dismantle the city’s Police Department.""

Good luck with that.

Tyrone Slothrop said...

Does the city council expect the current police force to stick around while they figure out what they're going to replace them with? It's like when your company tells you you're being laid off so they can hire a cheap H1B from Pakistan to replace you, but before you go they expect you to train your replacement.

If the Mpls police had any self-respect, they'd resign en masse. Today.

JML said...

Is the suburbs far enough, or should we move much further?

NOT New Mexico. Dem controlled all around and the centrist Dems got primaries by far leftists and the leftists won. It is going to get even worse here.

Ficta said...

Ctrl-F Altamont... Nothing. Huh.

PhilD said...

The plan? When the chips are down ask the Feds to take over and afterwards blame them (*)

(*) Though probably not even 'afterwards', more like 'and blame them at the same time'

wendybar said...

I can't believe there are people who will actually stay there. They can have it, and unfortunately, I will plan accordingly, to NEVER step foot in Minneapolis again. It's too bad....I really liked that city.

Rusty said...

Let's just hope that the good people of Minneapolis are the better armed and organized than the mob. I'm not hopeful. When a vacuum in social order occurs the outcome is rarely peaceful.

tim maguire said...

They’ll appoint a commission. In 2 years it will release its recommendations, which will be duly filed.

wildswan said...

" Automatic_Wing said...
I'm thinking security is going to contracted out to "community organizations". The Black Panthers, Farrakhan's NOI bowtie boys, etc. Maybe some Somali group to patrol Little Mogadishu with technicals. That sort of thing.

Warlordism - it's the progressive alternative."

Brownshirts, Blackshirts - It can be set up and it "works" for a while. These bands of thugs are usually called after a pre-existing group with the desired characteristics so in America they will probably be called "Community Organizers." I don't think major headquarters will stay for long in cities with Community Organizers but a lot of people can't get out and will be abused. This an attempt at a revolution toward Socialism of the 21st Century as in Venezuela which was based on Communal Councils. Poverty increased, inequality did not diminish and corruption continued as in all socialist states and the Communal Councils and Community Organizers did not care as they were all getting rich as in all socialist states. Now, here, we're going to have communal reorganization all summer and lockdowns and community organizers in the cities and the counties they control. Then comes November 2020. It is at this point that the question will be answered: Can you have a revolution, i.e. abolish the police and elections, against the wishes of an armed and aware population?

rhhardin said...

The country is run by children now, and the businesses that make their toys.

Null said...

They already have a plan to replace the police...

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2013/10/remember_obamas_civilian_national_security_force.html

Jersey Fled said...

Camden, NJ is basically an impoverished community of only 60,000 across the river from Philly. While Minneapolis is a diverse city of almost 500,000 so any comparison is not apples to apples.

Because you say so?

Jack Klompus said...

You might not want to use Camden, NJ as a model for anything you wish to emulate. Go for it, Minneapolis.

Mr. O. Possum said...

It will be the same police department but with political monitors embedded at all layers. These will be jobs for political hacks who whose purpose will be to spy on the real policemen to prevent thoughtcrimes.

Bill Owens said...

What did the great majority of these same people have until mid March '20 that dissuaded riots et al? Jobs. With rising incomes. There was neither the time, inclination nor the will to throw away that which was improving your life.

We took that away. For a virus.

PaoloP said...

Political posturing.

rwnutjob said...

Goals achieved.
Mogadishu on the Mississippi

wendybar said...

Null said...
They already have a plan to replace the police...

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2013/10/remember_obamas_civilian_national_security_force.html
6/8/20, 6:04 AM

Not only that, but Obama had a database with information about ALL of us....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2TNrlIv2bY

Ozymandias said...

I’m looking forward to another Wa-Po op ed by Christy E. Lopez of Georgetown Law School telling us that “dismantle” just means relieving the police of having “to do too much,” you sillies!

Birkel said...

Quit inventing new words for stupid shit the Leftists are imagining.

This is the endpoint of "The Road to Serfdom" and Hayek predicted it 75 years ago.

The Leftist Collectivist plan is that we serfs will serve them, the lander aristocracy.

Tommy Duncan said...

Blogger I'm Full of Soup said...

"Camden, NJ is basically an impoverished community of only 60,000 across the river from Philly. While Minneapolis is a diverse city of almost 500,000 so any comparison is not apples to apples."

Camden County has a population of 506,451. So how are they not comparable?

Known Unknown said...

"If the Mpls police had any self-respect, they'd resign en masse. Today."

Fourteen have quit and 46 are taking early retirement.

Known Unknown said...

"Camden County has a population of 506,451. So how are they not comparable?"

Municipal police vs. county Sheriff jurisdictions? Perhaps a distinction without a difference.

shaughand said...

You think the police are bad. Just wait till the Crips and Bloods control your city.

I Have Misplaced My Pants said...

From St. Paul, I'm sure the city here will follow suit as it does whatever Minneapolis does, just a bit later and usually with even less thought and analysis.

And yes, wife and I are now planning on moving us and the little ones out in the next 6-18 months. Due to COVID my job is likely be to available as work from home, though the wife's won't be.

Would honestly appreciate advice on better places. Is the suburbs far enough, or should we move much further? Am also interested in if Althouse ever had contenders on where her & Meade wanted to move (I remember some posts along those lines from a year or two ago).


My family has been planning a move from Texas to St. Paul for a couple of years -- that is now dead in the water. Zero chance now. Husband's work allows us to live anywhere. We love the upper Midwest for many reasons, but recent events have proven him right that the place is irredeemable. He'd been arguing that, softly, for some time but was willing to be overruled, but now I see he's been right all along.

My father in law has a saying-pay special attention to states with one star on their flag. It is tongue in cheek but he's not wrong. We have ties to Arizona and have lived in Texas (mostly) for some time, and this is where we will stay. We'll have a place in Arizona but the home base will be in Texas. We would also consider some of the Ozark-y states (Tennessee, Arkansas) but we have no family ties there and really, if things really go to shit and this country fractures then we want to be in Texas which will form the core of the one-star-flag republic. You probably need to be able to handle hot weather to escape the horror show that most of the Northern states are becoming. If you come to Texas and need trees, there are actual forests in northeast Texas. If you need cold winds, the panhandle can meet your needs. If you want the ocean, there is a lot of Gulf here. And central Texas has prairies.

I'm sorry for the loss of your current home. The Cities are a beautiful place and I wanted to move my family there and live there forever but alas.

I Have Misplaced My Pants said...

The people who run Target, Medtronic and United Health aren’t going to start paying the Danegeld.

The same Target that made a big show about how welcome transgenders are in their bathrooms? They will 100% pay the Danegeld. Don't kid yourself.

I Have Misplaced My Pants said...

And regarding emigration: my husband has a standing offer for sponsorship for Australian citizenship that applies to both of us. But we share some of our children with a former spouse, and we can't take them with us. We'd go in a minute if it were just us, and I suspect that by the time the kids who can't go are launched into their own lives it will be too late.

Australia has its own problems but they are behind us on letting the wokesters get control, and there may be time to stop it there yet.

MadisonMan said...

I'd be curious to see how gun sales change in Minneapolis/St Paul in reaction to this decision. I would not want to be a business leader there.

Somehow, I suppose, this is Trump's fault?

tcrosse said...

I was saddened to see that the looters had made it to the Highland Park neighborhood in St Paul, where I lived for many years. We had moved to Las Vegas 5 years ago, mainly because my dear wife suffers from a circulatory condition which is exacerbated by cold weather. There's a lot I miss, but now I'll never go back.

MartyB said...

"So they have no plan or even a general idea of what it is, but they pledge to do it. I imagine a lot of Minneapolis people are alarmed and anxious but won't say too much about all this."

Perhaps... Unless you take moving their families and/or businesses out of the city (or possibly the state)to avoid being the subjects of an experiment in "defunding the police" to be "saying" something.

GParty

Tomcc said...

Once again, the desire of the ruling classes to "do something" in response to a bad situation- even if it's likely to make matters worse!
It's easy to feed into the high emotions of the protestors, but making policy based on an emotional response is ludicrous.
"Better than nothing is a high standard"
"White" America has been trying to improve the lives of poor/black Americans (at least in terms of federal and state support) for the last 50 years. Can anyone demonstrate success in those efforts?

bagoh20 said...

Who do you think needs the police the most? It's not well-armed wealthy people.

I expect this will be another in the long list of unlearned lessons in unintended consequences as the poor and minorities become part of an experiment in what is worse today: occasional police brutality, or daily 24/7 rampant crime in your neighborhood. It's a lot easier to avoid bad cops. Generally doing the right things keeps you mostly out of contact with the cops, but criminals and thugs are much more fair. They screw with everyone.

bagoh20 said...

""So they have no plan or even a general idea of what it is, but they pledge to do it. I imagine a lot of Minneapolis people are alarmed and anxious but won't say too much about all this."

It's like if you were on a ship, and it started taking on some water, and everyone starts screaming to do something about the water, so the Captain announces they will drill a hole in the bottom of the boat to let it out, and figure out what to do next at a later time. Then when it sinks, you could blame the water or the boat, but keep the Captain in charge.

Jim at said...

You stupid leftists have no idea of the hell you're going to unleash.

But you will.

gerry said...

Where did Mary Richards live in Minneapolis?

tcrosse said...

Where did Mary Richards live in Minneapolis?

Kenwood at first, then in a fancy condo downtown.

hawkeyedjb said...

"The people who run Target, Medtronic and United Health aren’t going to start paying the Danegeld."

The he'll they aren't. Those are some of the wokest companies on earth. They are in thrall to their HR departments, and they will bend the company knee (and open the company checkbook) faster than you can say 'white privilege.'

Bunkypotatohead said...

"IgnatzEsq said...

"Would honestly appreciate advice on better places."

For any town you may be interested in, Wikipedia will have the demographics.
Pick one that is 98% white and they won't have many cops, because there is so little crime. And if you should happen to encounter an officer, he will be polite to you, as you would be to him.