It’s hard to imagine anyone deciding that law enforcement far and wide is a bad thing as if protecting the innocent and defending our freedoms is wrong. But as we know, that is precisely what has happened in multiple Democratic-run cities since the summer of 2020 when George Floyd died while in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
And since then, crime in cities like Minneapolis has taken a disastrous turn, skyrocketing to well-above-average rates.
For those of us in our right mind, we knew this is how it would turn, that their plans to do away with police wouldn’t be a good idea and would ultimately backfire. We just didn’t know how embarrassing or devastating it would be to the political left who supported such movements.
Well, I think it’s safe to say that their narrative has not only been squashed, but their reputations of being good, just, and all-for-the-people leaders have been dashed in the mud – especially after a judge ordered this week that their defunding of the police movement be forgotten, and more officers hired immediately.
According to KMSP-TV, a Hennepin County District Court Judge has officially ruled that more police officers be hired for the liberal city of Minneapolis.
The case was brought before the court by eight Upper Midwest Law Center affiliated plaintiffs who were quite naturally worried about the growing crime rates in the city. One such individual, Don Samuels, is a former city council member who thought the vote last June to defund the Minneapolis Police Department a foolish one that would only bring more chaos and destruction to the city.
However, as the vast majority of the city council approved of defunding the police, Samuels was overruled. As NPR reported at the time, “a veto-proof majority of Minneapolis City Council members pledged to defund and dismantle the police department.”
Nine of them were, in fact, noted to have protested in favor of the movement, being photographed carrying large letter signs that spelled out ‘defund police.’ Shortly after this display of ignorance, the city council proposed to completely replace the existing police force with a “Department of Community Safety and Violence Prevention.”
Of course, the amendment was never entirely accepted, being shot down by the Minneapolis charter commission before it ever even was put before the public.
What this did was essentially leave the city without a police force, or at least one that had enough human, monetary, and physical resources to do the job they were tasked with.
It didn’t help that, thanks largely to moves like that of the city’s city council, the public didn’t exactly trust or support the police. I mean, what man or woman wants to work in an industry where they aren’t respected, backed, or even remotely appreciated?
Suffice it to say that it caused some major morale problems in the department and many to leave their position.
As ABC News reported in February, the Minneapolis Police Department had about 200 fewer officers available than their yearly average, leaving the city even more open to the riots, looting, and all-around craziness that has taken over.
In fact, crime in just about every category has gotten so bad that in February, the same city council that voted to defund the police in 2020 were forced to essentially refund the police by some $6.4 million so that more officers could be hired and trained to bring some semblance of order back. And while it has helped some, more is needed – hence the need for the lawsuit.
According to the ordering judge, city officials are to “immediately take any and all necessary action to ensure that they fund a police force.” This means that by June 30 of 2022, at least 61 more officers need to be recruited and hired on to the force to bring their numbers to 730.
Samuels says this only the next step in making the city a safe place for its community members and one that’s desperately needed.
“We have made the emotional appeal. We have demonstrated the statistical uptick, and now this is the legal action we are exercising because it seems as if the City Council cannot hear us and doesn’t feel what we feel.”
Well, it seems like this judge is going to make them feel something about the situation, even if it’s utter embarrassment.
