The Floyd Effect: A Minneapolis referendum to abolish the police passed

Kremlin relations

Minneapolis residents refused to disband the police force.

According to RIA Novosti, Minneapolis held a referendum on Tuesday, November  2, on the question of disbanding the police force. Citizens were asked to abolish the current system and replace it with the Department of Public Safety. The current police officers would be able to work as “peace officers” in the new state structure.

RIA Novosti also reports the words of activist Erica Thorne, who is actively involved in the campaign to transform the police. She says that the police will exist, but in a new form.

“Contrary to what some sometimes say, this is not about defunding the police or disbanding them. The reform assumes that the police will be used where the situation requires the presence of people with guns. There are times when you don’t need guns on the streets, but skilled professionals who know how to help a homeless person, calm someone with an exacerbation of mental illness or an emotional breakdown, take them to a place where they can recover”.

Thorne also stressed the fact that the events of recent years require radical reform. A huge number of African-Americans and Latinos in Minneapolis face similar problems.

According to RT, just over 58 percent voted against reform.

Recall that in late May, felon George Floyd died during an arrest. Police officer Derek Chauvin held him down by crushing the criminal’s neck with his knee.

After the murder of an African American in the United States, a wave of rallies and protests took place in support of the deceased. The BLM (Black Lives Matter) movement, an organization fighting against discrimination against the black population, was born.

African Americans across the USA began looting stores, ostensibly in defense of their rights. In Minneapolis itself, rioters tried to burn down the police station where the officer who killed Floyd worked.

There is now a symbolic cemetery in a park near the murder site. It has several tombstones dedicated to people who died because of police brutality. According to RIA Novosti, next to there is a fresh flyer with the inscription: “All cops are Derek Chauvinas. Crush the police state”.