Data from the Minneapolis police shows crime is surging amid calls by local leadership to disband the department.
Police said that there have been 2,170 stolen vehicles so far this year, which represents a 46% increase from last year. There have also been 886 robberies, which is a 36% rise from last year, according to CBS 4 Minnesota.
Many of the robberies and auto thefts occur in daylight, causing many residents to express frustration and concern about the recent push by the City Council and Democratic politicians such as Rep. Ilhan Omar to dismantle the Police Department over concerns about police brutality.
A Facebook page named “Uptown Crime” has testimonials from Minneapolis residents who say they have been victimized by crime, including a woman whose purse was ripped away from her during the day after being put in a chokehold.
“What we’re hearing again and again is people don’t want less public safety. They want better public safety,” Steve Taylor, a south Minneapolis resident and moderator of the Uptown Crime page, said. “When City Council has their own armed security and community members are being robbed at gunpoint often in broad daylight, that just seems unfair.”
Taylor continued: “I think we need more police. Of course, we need reformed police and better police that police all of Minneapolis equally, keep everyone equally safe from violent criminals.”
*story by The Washington Examiner