A Minneapolis commission on Wednesday prevented the Democrat-controlled Minneapolis City Council’s amendment to dismantle the city’s police department from appearing on the ballot this November, saying that it needed more time to evaluate the proposal.
“The Charter Commission had expressed concern that the process to change the city’s charter was being rushed after Floyd died following an encounter with a Minneapolis police officer,” CBS News reported. “Some commissioners said they were more concerned with making the right changes rather than making them fast.”
The proposal would have replaced the department with a poorly defined “Department of Community Safety and Violence Prevention.”
“The issue would likely have gone to voters if the commission had acted decisively either for or against the amendment,” CBS News added. “That’s because the City Council was required only to consult the commission and was not bound by their action. But the lack of a final decision means the proposal won’t clear deadlines to make the ballot this November.”
The announcement just happened to come on the same day that Gallup News released the results from a recent survey showing that the overwhelming majority of Americans, including 81% of black Americans, want either the same amount or more policing in their neighborhoods than what they currently have.
Violent riots have struck Democrat-controlled cities over the last two months in response to the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, including in Portland, Minneapolis, New York City, Atlanta, Chicago, Austin, Seattle, and others.
Video of Floyd’s arrest was finally released this week when body camera footage was leaked to the Daily Mail.
The Daily Wire reported:
Published Monday by the Daily Mail after it was leaked to the outlet, bodycam footage from Officers Thomas Lane, 37, and Alex Kueng, 26, shows the officers approaching Floyd’s vehicle after responding to a call that he was allegedly using counterfeit money at Cup Foods.
Floyd is immediately distressed, agitated, and uncooperative with the officers, who demand he open his door and show them his hands. When he does not immediately show both hands, Lane pulls a handgun and points it at Floyd’s head. When Floyd places his hands on his head, Lane holsters the weapon. In the car with Floyd is his ex, Shawanda Hill, and a friend, Maurice Hall.
When Lane orders Floyd out of his car, Floyd says, “Okay, Mr. Officer, please don’t shoot me. Please, man.” Lane assures him he won’t shoot him, but Floyd begins sobbing and telling them how he “just lost my mom,” who died two years prior. Floyd continues to behave erratically as officers tell him to stop resisting arrest.
…
The footage then depicts Floyd yelling out in pain and struggling to walk across the street toward the police vehicle, for which reason the officer asks him if he is under the influence of a substance. Floyd also refuses to get inside of the vehicle because of claustrophobia. “Please man,” he says. “Don’t leave me by myself man, please. I’m just claustrophobic.” At one point he says he would rather lie on the ground.
Lane goes over to the other side of the car to pull Floyd into it. Floyd begins yelling and repeatedly claiming he “can’t breathe.” After a struggle between Floyd and several officers, Floyd ends up on the ground beside the vehicle as Officer Derek Chauvin, 44, places his knee on his neck. Chauvin would go on to hold his knee on Floyd’s neck for over eight minutes, as shown in widely-publicized video that led to violent protests nationwide.
WATCH: Police Bodycam Footage Shows Moment-By-Moment Arrest Of George Floyd For The First Time