Amendment to Replace Minneapolis Police Department Fails

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By Teddy Grant Published: November 2, 2021

Amendment to Replace Minneapolis Police Department Fails

FILE - In this June 22, 2020, file photo Metropolitan Police Department bicycle division officers stand guard after police closed the area around Lafayette Park near the White House after protesters tried to topple a statue of Andrew Jackson in the park in Washington. The police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis has sparked new interest in training officers how to stop colleagues from using excessive force and committing other misconduct (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo, File)

Minneapolis voters have seemingly rejected a referendum Tuesday night that would have replaced the city’s police department with a public safety agency, the Associated Press reported.

The measure was proposed as a result of the murder of George Floyd last year by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Floyd’s death spurred a racial reckoning around the country, but particularly in Minnesota where activists called for the much-maligned police department to be abolished.

According to the New York Times, the amendment would have given Minneapolis City Council the power to oversee the public safety agency planned on replacing the department, which would focus on public health.

This is a developing story.