The Minneapolis City Council’s forthcoming proposal to disband its police department was built on years of activism and resistance to systemic police violence and racism. But while calls to defund the police have only recently gotten popular national attention, this is not a new concept. Minneapolis-based MPD150 has been organizing artists, activists, researchers and local residents since 2015 to strive for a police-free Minneapolis. Community organizer Arianna Nason expands on the MPD150 model to abolish police and reveals why it is imperative to put communities in charge of safeguarding their own public safety.
“We’re not abolishing safety, we’re abolishing the institution that does not keep us safe.”
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