Should the Police be De-funded and Disbanded [Poll]

In Minneapolis, a majority of the City Council said they are supportive of disbanding the police department. Do you think de-funding and disbanding the police departments is a good way to stop abuse of power and abuse by police?

Nine of the 12 members on the Minneapolis City Council said they support disbanding the police department there, according to WIVB. The council members were speaking at a protest on Sunday (June 7).

“It is clear that our system of policing is not keeping our communities safe. Our efforts at incremental reform have failed, period.” ~ ” Lisa Bender, Council President, via WIVB

More: Top 5 Female Gangsters of New York

City police departments have been disbanded before, like in 2000 in Comptom, California and 2012 in Camden, New Jersey, according to WIVB. According to Isaac Bryan, the director of UCLA's Black Policy Center, policing started as "slave patrol" in the south.

More: WBLK Police Brutality Community Forum [Interviews]

"It's about reinvesting those dollars into black communities, communities that have been deeply divested from." ~ Patrisse Cullors, co-founder of the Black Lives Matter via WBUR

According to a 2017 report, found a reduction in crime complaints when the New York Police Department reduced "proactive policing."

"We can totally reimagine what public safety means, what skills we're recruiting for, what tools we do and don't need. We can invest in cultural competency and mental health training, de-escalation and conflict resolution." ~ Minneapolis City Council Member, Steve Fletcher, via CNN