Minneapolis vows to disband police force

Minneapolis vows to disband police force

A mounting wave of protests calling for police reform swept across the United States on Sunday, while a majority of the Minneapolis City Council pledges to disband the city's police department in favor of a community-led model.

Libby Hogan reports.

The Black Lives Matter protests over the weekend across the U.S were mostly relaxed "this is what democracy looks like" festive and full of dance.

Thousands turned out for a new round of street protests in Washington, D.C.

And other major cities on Sunday (June 7), a day after the largest demonstrations since George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis last month.

Outside the White House, the fence was decorated in signs and artwork reading "No Justice, No peace." And the demand for police reform was front and center: "Being military prior service - I was Air Force veteran, I have cops in my family, I do believe in a police presence.

But I do think that reform has got to happen.

I think that before we can say that our streets are safe and that they are safely protecting them, that they have to understand who they're protecting and why and that it's not a bias or a choice about who you get to protect, " [said protester Nikky Williams.] However, protests in Minneapolis remained intense.

A majority of the Minneapolis City Council pledged on Sunday to disband the police department in favor of a community-led safety model.

That was after Saturday (June 8), when the city's mayor Jacob Frey was jeered by protesters after telling them he opposed their demands for de-funding the city police department.

New York City's curfew was lifted on Sunday, and Mayor Bill de Blasio told reporters he would shift an unspecified amount of money out of the police budget and reallocate it to youth and social services in communities of color.

"I want people to understand that we are committed to shifting resources to ensure that the focus is on our young people," said de Blasio.

U.S President Donald Trump also tweeted that he has ordered the National Guard to start withdrawing from Washington, DC.

More intense protests last week have given way to calls for broader change.

A common theme of weekend rallies was a determination to transform outrage over Floyd's death into a bigger movement -- one that seeks far reaching reforms to the U.S. criminal justice system and its treatment of minorities.