(1) Two years ago today, people in Minneapolis woke up to the news that a ballot initiative wrongly billed as "abolitionist" by foes and supporters alike, had failed.
Despite all the talk of "imagining a world without police" during 2020, and all the political education about cycles of reform, when the subsequent election cycle rolled around, so many organizers went right back to what felt the most comfortable to them: organizing around the ballot box. Ideas are not nearly as powerful as familiarity.
There's no way to know what would've happened if this had changed. But we do know that yesterday, the city council authorized purchase of a building for use as a new 3rd precinct potentially in as little as 12 months. Although MPD ranks are still depleted, the institution has seemingly regained its credibility amongst many of those who cheered the arsonists and vandals of May 28, 2020. ...
