>>> WE ARE CONTINUING TO KEEP
OUR FOCUS WHERE IT BELONGS WHICH
IS ON SAFETY.
MAKING SURE THAT THE SECURITY OF
OUR RESIDENTS IS PARAMOUNT,
PROTECTING THE FIRST AMENDMENT
SPEECH AND PROTESTS.
WE ARE GETTING INFORMATION OUT
TO EVERYONE IN OUR COMMUNITY AS
QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
>> THAT WAS THE MINNEAPOLIS
MAYOR MOMENTS AGO.
THAT CITY PREPARES FOR DEREK
CHAUVIN’S MURDER TRIAL.
ONE OF THE BIG ISSUES MOVING
OVER THAT TRIAL IS POLICING
OVERALL.
IT HAS BEEN MONTHS SINCE THEY
WERE GOING TO DEFUNDED AND
DISMANTLE THE POLICE.
EVERY POTENTIAL JUROR FOR THE
TRIAL WAS ASKED ABOUT IT.
WE ARE JOINED THIS MORNING TO
TAKE A LOOK WHERE THAT FIGHT TO
DEFUND THE POLICE STANDS.
WHAT HAS CHANGED THERE, IF
ANYTHING?
>> Reporter: THE MAYOR WAS JUST
TALKING A LITTLE ABOUT THIS IN
THE PRESS CONFERENCE STILL ON
GOING.
IT’S A WEEKLY PRESS CONFERENCE
HE HAS.
WHEN YOU GO AROUND THE CITY OF
MINNEAPOLIS, MUCH HAS CHANGED
SINCE THE DEATH OF GEORGE FLIED -- FLOYD.
FLIED -- FLOYD.
YOU SEE THE FENCING AROUND THE
COURTHOUSE.
ON DEETFUNDING THE POLICE, IT
DEPENDS WHO YOU ASK.
IT STARTED WITH A PROMISE IN A
PARK.
MINNEAPOLIS CITY COUNCIL
FIGHTING RADICAL REFORM LESS
THAN TWO WEEKS AFTER THE DEATH
OF GEORGE FLOYD.
>> Reporter: THE MAJORITY
SUPPORTING THAT IDEA.
>> DEFUND THE POLICE.
>> STILL UNFULFILLED TODAY.
>> Reporter: WHAT HAPPENED?
>> WE HAVE TAKEN 5% OF THE
BUDGET AND ALLOCATED IT TOWARDS
OTHER PROGRAMS.
>> Reporter: THERE HAS BEEN
PROGRESS.
THERE HAS BEEN A BAN ON NECK
RESTRAINTS.
AFTER MUCH POLITICAL PRESSURE,
THE MAYOR AGREED TO NEARLY 8
MILLION IN BUDGET CUTS SHIFTING
TO MENTAL HEALTH INITIATIVES.
AND THEY MOVED TO AMEND THE
CHARTER REPLACING THE POLICE
DEPARTMENT WITH A MORE WHOLISTIC
DEPARTMENT OF SAFETY.
INCREMENTAL STEPS SHORT OF THE
RADICAL REFORM.
>> THEY SAID THEY WERE GOING TO
DEFUNDED THE POLICE AND BACKED
OUT.
>> Reporter: YOU SAW IN THE PARK
THAT DAY THEY SAID DEFUNDED THE
POLICE.
>> I’M NOT SATISFIED.
I THINK WE COULD MAKE DEEPER
INVESTMENTS.
>> BUT FOR SOME THEY THINK
DEFUNDING THE POLICE COULD BE
DANGEROUS.
>> LET’S LOOK AT THE FACTS.
>> ACROSS MINNEAPOLIS HOMICIDE
RATES SOARED TO MULTIYEAR HIGH,
A PATTERN MIRRORED IN OTHER
LARGE CITIES, BUT THIS SPIKE WAS
MET WITH A THINNER POLICE FORCE,
THE DEPARTMENT DOWN NEARLY 200
OFFICERS FROM LAST YEAR, THE
RESULT OF RETIREMENTS,
RESIGNATIONS AND MORE THAN 100
OFFICERS TAKING EXTENDED LEAVE.
>> DEFUNDING THE POLICE RIGHT
NOW IS POSITIVELY INSANE.
AND TO ME IT WAS A GIMMICK WHEN
THERE WERE OTHER THINGS THEY
COULD HAVE IMPLEMENTED AND GOT
SOME OF WHAT THEY DESIRED.
>> I WANT TO ASK THEM TO RECLAIM
THEIR IMAGINATION AND DREAM OF A
PUBLIC SAFETY SYSTEM THAT CAN
KEEP PEOPLE SAFE AND ALSO NOT
MURDER PEOPLE.
>> Reporter: A COMMUNITY DIVIDED
OVER REFORMING A CURRENT SYSTEM
OR DRASTICALLY RECREATING.
YOU REMEMBER THE SETTLEMENT FOR
THE FAMILIAR LITTLE OF GEORGE FLOYD.
ON THAT SAME DAY THEY PASSED A
MEASURE