[THEMINNESOTASUN] The mayor of Minneapolis, who himself has bashed police in order to placate the Black Lives Matter mob, now says that calls to "defund the police" have led to a spike in crime in the city."The violence needs to stop, it’s unacceptable. People deserve to feel safe in their neighborhood, they deserve to be able to send their kids out to the sidewalk to play and to recreate without bullets flying by. That’s unacceptable. We should be holding these perpetrators accountable," Mayor Jacob Frey (D) said.
But that is a strikingly different tune from Frey’s message last summer, when Minneapolis was engulfed in riots after the death of George Floyd at the hands of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.
At that time, he went on a tirade against police after a Black Lives Matter rally, calling them "racist," among other unfounded accusations:
"If you’re asking whether I’m for massive structural reform to revise a structurally racist system the answer is ’yes’. If you’re asking whether I will do everything possible to push back on the inherent inequities that are literally built into the architecture the answer is ’yes’. If you’re asking whether I’m willing to do everything I possibly can throughout the rest of my term to make sure that the police union, the police contract, the arbitration system, and some of these policies that have resulted in problems for specifically Black and Brown people and murder over series of generations, I’m all for that. I’m not for abolishing the entire police department, I will be honest about that."
He was booed by the crowd for his failure to pledge to totally abolish the police force.
Frey’s comments have placed him in a bind between radical elements in the city, and his own police department, which has been severely depleted.
The department has been scrambling to find replacements for about 200 officers who are no longer patrolling the streets as of 2021. In February, the City Council voted to spend millions of dollars to bolster the number of officers among its ranks.
Related:
Minneapolis: 2021-05-15 Davon De-Andre Turner was sentenced to 36 months in federal prison for his role in using a firebomb that helped burn down a Minneapolis police station
Minneapolis: 2021-05-13 Andrew Brown Jr. was charged with 100 crimes over three decades, did EIGHT stints in jail, and had a history of violent confrontations with police including a 2016 incident when he had to be tasered by officers
Minneapolis: 2021-05-13 Minneapolis Mayor: ‘defund the police’ may have increased crime
Minneapolis: 2021-05-15 Davon De-Andre Turner was sentenced to 36 months in federal prison for his role in using a firebomb that helped burn down a Minneapolis police station
Minneapolis: 2021-05-13 Andrew Brown Jr. was charged with 100 crimes over three decades, did EIGHT stints in jail, and had a history of violent confrontations with police including a 2016 incident when he had to be tasered by officers
Minneapolis: 2021-05-13 Minneapolis Mayor: ‘defund the police’ may have increased crime
Related:
Black Lives Matter: 2021-05-13 Systemic Racism, Chicago-Style
Black Lives Matter: 2021-05-13 England second XV rugby team to drop beloved Saxons name as it's deemed racist
Black Lives Matter: 2021-05-11 Three More Years: Sadiq Khan Reelected as London Mayor, but Won by Smaller Majority
Black Lives Matter: 2021-05-13 Systemic Racism, Chicago-Style
Black Lives Matter: 2021-05-13 England second XV rugby team to drop beloved Saxons name as it's deemed racist
Black Lives Matter: 2021-05-11 Three More Years: Sadiq Khan Reelected as London Mayor, but Won by Smaller Majority