Rep. Ilhan Omar Voices Support For Minneapolis Public Safety Amendment
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- There will be an emergency court hearing Monday over the latest wording of a Minneapolis charter amendment that seeks to replace the Minneapolis Police Department with a Department of Public Safety.
At stake is not only the wording but whether the amendment will be on the ballot.
This is just the latest in a series of challenges the public safety amendment has faced. The amendment is the culmination of the defund the police movement that started in Minneapolis after George Floyd's death, swept across the country and has become a major issue in elections almost everywhere.
Last week, a district court judge shot down the original amendment language, blasting it as misleading. The City Council quickly adopted new language along with an explanatory note for the ballot, saying a yes vote on the amendment would mean getting rid of Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo.
In a rare move, major political figures are weighing in on this city issue. Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Gov. Tim Walz are against the amendment and its goal of replacing the Minneapolis Police Department. Two of the biggest names supporting the amendment are Attorney General Keith Ellison and Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. Congresswoman Omar was a guest on WCCO Sunday Morning.She said,
"This charter amendment will actually give the opportunity for the city council and the mayor to make decisions about who should respond when it comes to disturbances that do not actually require the presence of police," Omar said on WCCO Sunday Morning.
It's not clear if the judge will make a new ruling after the hearing or when such a ruling could come. But any additional changes in the ballot language at this point could keep the entire question off the ballot. That's because last week was the deadline for getting the ballots to the printer. Early voting starts on Friday.
You can watch WCCO Sunday Morning every Sunday with Esme Murphy and Mike Augustyniak every Sunday at 6 a.m. and 10:30a.m.
