Controversial Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison threw their support behind new efforts to “replace” the Minneapolis Police Department this week in an effort to promote social justice and equity in the city.
Omar penned an op-ed published by the Star Tribune this week that urged voters to support initiatives that promote a more “humane system.”
“What many don’t know is that the murder of George Floyd was not a one-off event. I remember witnessing my first police shooting as a teenager, where the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) put nearly 38 bullets into the body of a mentally ill man who was just released from an institution, didn’t speak a word of English, couldn’t respond to commands and was not of any imminent threat. Many of us, particularly people of color, have witnessed those kinds of killings in front of civilians far too often,” writes Omar.
“The truth is the current system hasn’t been serving our city for a long time. Right now, we expect the MPD to respond to all types of emergencies, from mental health crises, to domestic abuse, sexual abuse, and simple noise complaints and traffic stops. But the department simply is not equipped to deal with all these issues, which can lead to escalating tensions and even violence at the hands of police,” she adds.
“I have long said we need a public safety system that is actually rooted in people’s basic human needs. That means having qualified experts, such as mental health workers and social workers, work alongside officers to give people the help they need and make our communities safer. That means providing the services and responding to the types of crises that the MPD is not designed, equipped nor trained to handle. That is what the Minneapolis charter amendment on the ballot in November gives us the opportunity to do,” concludes the Congresswoman.
Read the full op-ed here.
DEMS GO AT IT: Far-Left Reps Attack Barack Obama for Calling ‘Defund the Police’ a ‘Snappy Slogan’
Far-left Representatives from the so-called ‘Squad’ ripped former President Barack Obama on social media Wednesday after he referred to their demand to “defund the police” as nothing more than a “snappy slogan.”
“I guess you can use a snappy slogan, like Defund the Police, but, you know, you lost a big audience the minute you say it, which makes it a lot less likely that you’re actually going to get the changes you want done. The key is deciding, do you want to actually get something done, or do you want to feel good among the people you already agree with?” asked Obama.
“The whole point of protesting is to make people uncomfortable. Activists take that discomfort with the status quo and advocate for concrete policy changes. Popular support often starts small and grows. To folks who complain protest demands make others uncomfortable… that’s the point,” fired-back Rep. Ocasio-Cortez.
“We lose people in the hands of police. It’s not a slogan but a policy demand. And centering the demand for equitable investments and budgets for communities across the country gets us progress and safety,” added Ilhan Omar.
“Rosa Parks was vilified and attacked for her civil disobedience. She was targeted. It’s hard seeing the same people who uplift her courage, attack the movement for Black lives that want us to prioritize health, funding of schools & ending poverty, rather than racist police systems,” posted Rep. Rashida Tlaib.
We lose people in the hands of police. It’s not a slogan but a policy demand. And centering the demand for equitable investments and budgets for communities across the country gets us progress and safety. https://t.co/Vu6inw4ms7
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) December 2, 2020
The murders of generations of unarmed Black folks by police have been horrific. Lives are at stake daily so I’m out of patience with critiques of the language of activists.
Whatever a grieving family says is their truth.
And I’ll never stop fighting for their justice & healing.
— Ayanna Pressley (@AyannaPressley) December 2, 2020
Read the full report at Fox News.
NEW DEMOCRATS: Cortez, Tlaib, Omar DEMAND Congress Defund Trump’s ‘Deportation Force’
Recently sworn-in Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, and Ilhan Omar held a public press conference Thursday morning; demanding Congress completely defund President Trump’s “Deportation Force.”
https://www.facebook.com/FoxNews/videos/1985428255093394/
“The President does not like any form of immigration. He has been cutting down and imposing restrictions on legal forms on family re-unification and so on. He’s ending DACA protections,” said Cortez. “In doing so, he’s criminalizing a population of people in the United States and now he’s asking for $5 billion to continue to militarize and weaponize a force that has zero accountability.”
“We need to feel the pain, the struggle, the hopes and the dreams of the people who this President likes to demonize,” added Rep. Ilhan Omar.