Hennepin County Sheriff candidate Jai Hanson told Minneapolis residents to vote no on the Yes 4 Minneapolis police charter amendment. In a tweet, Hanson said, “Politicians like Keith Ellison and Ilhan Omar want to pass the amendment because they’re only interested in dismantling the police, not public safety.”
Minneapolis residents: I encourage you to vote NO on the charter amendment in SUPPORT of the Minneapolis Police! pic.twitter.com/DzK0qDHxDe
— Jai Hanson For Hennepin County Sheriff (@jai4sheriff) September 2, 2021
The ballot initiative put forward by the Yes 4 Minneapolis group has come under a large amount of criticism from lawmakers and citizens. Yes 4 Minneapolis tries to replace the Minneapolis Police Department with a department of public safety.
“Voting yes to the misleading and complicated charter amendment question is voting to further weaken an already-struggling Minneapolis Police Department and it’s also voting to continue the cycle of violence that plagues Minneapolis,” Hanson said.
As reported by The Minnesota Sun, two of the state’s Democrat lawmakers, Governor Tim Walz and Representative Angie Craig (D-02-MN) have spoken out opposing the ballot initiative. Previously reported by The Sun, “Gov. Tim Walz revealed in an interview at the Minnesota State Fair last week that he thinks the ballot question does not provide enough detail and will leave residents ‘confused’ on what they’re voting for or against, Fox 9 reported.”
Politicians such as Attorney General Keith Ellison and Representative Ilhan Omar (D-05-MN) have supported replacing police, which is what the Yes 4 Minneapolis initiative is seeking to do.
The failures of the Minneapolis Police Department have cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars in the last decade alone.
Imagine if we created a public safety system that empowered and protected our residents AND invested in our community. https://t.co/1qSpxRDoKm
— Rep. Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan) June 17, 2021
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison says he will vote in favor of replacing the Minneapolis Police Department this November. pic.twitter.com/MaskaMDQGC
— Alpha News (@AlphaNewsMN) August 31, 2021
According to Yes 4 Minneapolis, they are “a black-led, multiracial campaign composed of a growing coalition of grassroots, community organizations and individuals who believe a people’s petition is the best path forward for implementing a new Department of Public Safety in Minneapolis.”
The ballot question put before Minneapolis voters in November will read:
Shall the Minneapolis City Charter be amended to strike and replace the Police Department with a Department of Public Safety that employs a comprehensive public health approach, and which would include licensed peace officers (police officers) if necessary, to fulfill its responsibilities for public safety, with the general nature of the amendments being briefly indicated in the explanatory note below, which is made a part of this ballot?
One of the reasons that much skepticism has surrounded their efforts is due in part to their funding. As reported by The Sun, “An arm of George Soros’ Open Society Foundations, the Open Society Policy Center, donated $500,000 to Yes 4 Minneapolis.” Much of their funding has come from donors outside of Minnesota, leaving constituents wondering what their motives are.
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Hayley Tschetter is a reporter with The Minnesota Sun | Star News Network. Follow Hayley on Twitter or like her Facebook page. Send news tips to [email protected].
Photo “Jai Hanson” by Jai for Sheriff. Background Photo “Yes 4 Minneapolis” by Yes 4 Minneapolis.
