Representative Angie Craig (D-02-MN) has spoken in opposition of an initiative moving forward in Minneapolis to replace the Minneapolis Police Department. The initiative, sponsored by a group called Yes 4 Minneapolis, would replace the Minneapolis Police Department with public safety and mental health professionals.
My top priority in Congress is ensuring the safety & security of Minnesota’s communities. That's why I feel compelled to oppose the upcoming ballot initiative to replace the MPD, which would create confusion and uncertainty around public safety in the largest city in our state. pic.twitter.com/C8jEOFs9Ny
— Angie Craig (@RepAngieCraig) August 24, 2021
A statement from Craig on Twitter reads that replacing the police “would create confusion and uncertainty around public safety in the largest city in our state.” Craig called the Yes 4 Minneapolis referendum “shortsighted” and “misguided.”
She even went so far as to say that she believes that the suggested changes to Minneapolis policing could potentially “harm the very communities that it seeks to protect.”
Craig said she felt compelled to speak out against the Yes 4 Minneapolis ballot proposal “given the gravity of the situation and the implications it could have on our state and region.”
The Yes 4 Minneapolis ballot proposal replacing the Minneapolis police with a Department of Public Safety has been in the spotlight several times in recent weeks. The question written by the group was approved for the November ballot in June of this year.
The city had sought to add an explanatory note to the ballot next to the question in order to educate voters on the implications of the question, however, Yes 4 Minneapolis sued the city, saying that the note was unnecessary. A lawyer for Yes 4 Minneapolis reportedly said that the city’s explanatory note is “fertile ground” for partisanship.
As reported by The Minnesota Sun, “A judge ordered that an explanation about replacing the Minneapolis police be removed from the ballot. The explanation was supported by Major Jacob Frey and city officials, who said that the people deserved to understand what they were voting for.”
As reported by The Sun, the question that Yes 4 Minneapolis is proposing to have on the ballot reads, “Shall the Charter be amended to create a Department of Public Safety that employs a comprehensive public health approach with a range of strategies and personnel, including licensed peace officers as necessary, to fulfill responsibilities for community safety, with the general nature of the amendments being briefly indicated in the explanatory note below, which is made a part of this ballot?”
It was also discovered that the Yes 4 Minneapolis group was funded by special interest groups outside of Minnesota. As reported by The Sun, “An arm of George Soros’ Open Society Foundations, the Open Society Policy Center, donated $500,000 to Yes 4 Minneapolis.”
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Hayley Tschetter is a reporter with The Minnesota Sun | Star News Network. Follow Hayley on Twitter or like her Facebook page. Send news tips to [email protected].
Background Photo “Minneapolis Police Officer” by Tony Webster. CC BY 2.0.
