This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/07/us/minneapolis-mayor-jacob-frey-walk-of-shame.html
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| For Mayor Jacob Frey of Minneapolis, a Stinging Rebuke | For Mayor Jacob Frey of Minneapolis, a Stinging Rebuke |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Mayor Jacob Frey of Minneapolis retreated on Saturday through a sea of protesters yelling, “Go home, Jacob, go home!” and “Shame! Shame!” after he refused to commit to defunding the Police Department. | Mayor Jacob Frey of Minneapolis retreated on Saturday through a sea of protesters yelling, “Go home, Jacob, go home!” and “Shame! Shame!” after he refused to commit to defunding the Police Department. |
| The scene in Minneapolis, which ricocheted across social media, reflected the intense pressure protesters nationwide are putting on elected officials to commit to sweeping changes in the nation’s law enforcement system after the death of George Floyd nearly two weeks ago. | The scene in Minneapolis, which ricocheted across social media, reflected the intense pressure protesters nationwide are putting on elected officials to commit to sweeping changes in the nation’s law enforcement system after the death of George Floyd nearly two weeks ago. |
| Mr. Frey, a 38-year-old civil rights lawyer, swept into office in 2018 on promises to fix the broken relationship between the community and the police. | Mr. Frey, a 38-year-old civil rights lawyer, swept into office in 2018 on promises to fix the broken relationship between the community and the police. |
| Across the country, calls to defund, downsize or abolish police departments have gained new traction since Mr. Floyd, a 46-year-old black man from Minneapolis, died after a white police officer pressed a knee into his neck for nearly nine minutes. | Across the country, calls to defund, downsize or abolish police departments have gained new traction since Mr. Floyd, a 46-year-old black man from Minneapolis, died after a white police officer pressed a knee into his neck for nearly nine minutes. |
| On Wednesday, Mayor Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles announced that he would cut as much as $150 million from a planned increase in the Police Department’s budget. And in New York, Corey Johnson, the City Council speaker, and Daniel Dromm, a council member from Queens, vowed even before the latest protests to cut the Police Department’s $6 billion budget. | On Wednesday, Mayor Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles announced that he would cut as much as $150 million from a planned increase in the Police Department’s budget. And in New York, Corey Johnson, the City Council speaker, and Daniel Dromm, a council member from Queens, vowed even before the latest protests to cut the Police Department’s $6 billion budget. |
| In Minneapolis, at least four members of the City Council have called for dismantling the Police Department, where four former officers have been charged in Mr. Floyd’s death. | In Minneapolis, at least four members of the City Council have called for dismantling the Police Department, where four former officers have been charged in Mr. Floyd’s death. |
| “And when we’re done, we’re not simply gonna glue it back together,” Jeremiah Ellison, a member of the City Council, said on Twitter this week. “We are going to dramatically rethink how we approach public safety and emergency response.” | “And when we’re done, we’re not simply gonna glue it back together,” Jeremiah Ellison, a member of the City Council, said on Twitter this week. “We are going to dramatically rethink how we approach public safety and emergency response.” |
| On Saturday, Mr. Frey was pressed to state his position on the issue by protesters who had massed outside his house. | On Saturday, Mr. Frey was pressed to state his position on the issue by protesters who had massed outside his house. |
| Looming above the mayor on a stage, a woman with a microphone asked him if he would commit on the spot to defunding the Minneapolis Police Department. | Looming above the mayor on a stage, a woman with a microphone asked him if he would commit on the spot to defunding the Minneapolis Police Department. |
| “It is a yes or no,” she said, instructing the crowd to be quiet and reminding them that the mayor is up for re-election next year. “And if he says no, guess what we’re going to do next year,” she said, adding an expletive for emphasis. | “It is a yes or no,” she said, instructing the crowd to be quiet and reminding them that the mayor is up for re-election next year. “And if he says no, guess what we’re going to do next year,” she said, adding an expletive for emphasis. |
| She then handed the microphone to Mr. Frey, who said in a barely audible voice muffled by his face mask, “I do not support the full abolition of the police.” | She then handed the microphone to Mr. Frey, who said in a barely audible voice muffled by his face mask, “I do not support the full abolition of the police.” |
| With that, the protesters began their chants of “Go home, Jacob, go home!” and “Shame! Shame!” | With that, the protesters began their chants of “Go home, Jacob, go home!” and “Shame! Shame!” |
| On Sunday, Mr. Frey said in a phone interview that after he walked away from the protesters chanting it at him, he stayed for about 45 minutes answering questions from reporters and others. | |
| He emphasized again that while he doesn’t support abolishing the Police Department, he supported “deep structural reform of a racist system.” Asked what such reforms might include, he mentioned overhauling collective bargaining by the city’s police union. |