Ilhan Omar Defends Second Push To Defund Minneapolis Police, Despite Crime Wave

Representative Ilhan Omar is sticking to her guns, and defending a second push to divert millions of dollars away from the  Minneapolis’s police department in favor of “violence prevention.”

Minneapolis is in the midst of a crime wave that has caused civilians to sue the city.

Millions Gone From Police Budget – Crime Wave Shoots Up

Following the death of George Floyd in May, the Minneapolis City Council voted to “defund” the police in the city, shifting $1 million away from police funding towards the health department, and cut the budget overall by $14 million.

Crime in the city reached severe levels.

In September, council members expressed shock  at how the crime rates could be rising, and asked why the police weren’t helping the city when they needed them.

“Residents are asking, ‘Where are the police?'” city council member Jamal Osman is quoted as asking. He also claimed phone calls to the police were going unanswered.

“That is the only public safety option [constituents] have at the moment. MPD. They rely on MPD,” he said. “And they are saying they are nowhere to be seen.”

In fact, the Minneapolis City Council this month considered bringing in extra police officers from other jurisdictions to tackle the crime wave.

“We’re not gonna be having these people out taking bicycle theft reports. These are going to be people out combating crime issues,” said John Elder, a Minneapolis police spokesman.

The officers would form Joint Enforcement Teams, and cost the city around $497,000.

“We’re barely able to cover the shifts that we have,” said Council Member Linea Palmisano, who is backing the extra patrols. “We really can’t allocate additional police officers for on-duty shifts.”

RELATED: Minneapolis Citizens Sue City Over Lack Of Police Officers, Demand ‘Law And Order’

Ilhan Omar: “Don’t Fall For The Fear Driven Narratives”

And yet, despite all this, Minneapolis City Council now wants to move a further $7.9M away from the police’s funding, towards funding “24/7 mental health response, violence prevention, and civilian oversight,” according to the Minnesota Reformer.

Far-left Democrat Representative Ilhan Omar strongly backed the further defunding of the Minneapolis Police.

“Don’t fall for the fear-driven narratives,” Omar said. “We can craft a justice system that prioritizes people’s basic needs like mental health + violence prevention, & allow the city to put public safety first.”

Jacob Frey, the Mayor of Minneapolis, said the new proposal from the city council was “irresponsible and untenable.”

“This notion that in order to have a more comprehensive public safety strategy you have to do away with one critical element, which is police, is wrong,” Frey argued.

“This is literally a life and death matter right now and we need to get it right.”

Omar has stood by the movement that arose to defund the police across the country from the beginning.

In July, she said the movement to defund the police should go even further than they already had.

“We must begin the work of dismantling the whole system of oppression wherever we find it,” Omar said, referring to the American political system and economy, which she said perpetuated inequality.

RELATED: Ilhan Omar Claims Violent Riots Are Simply An ‘Uprising’ Against American Oppression