Minneapolis City Council voted to remove Minneapolis Police from the city charter. Now, we must continue the fight for Black lives there and across the country. Join Black New Yorkers to tell Mayor De Blasio: Invest in communities, Defund NYPD.
John -- we’ve got some big news to share with you:
On Friday, the Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously to approve a potential ballot measure to change the city charter and dismantle Minneapolis' police force.
That means we’re one step closer to getting the new charter on the November ballot — and fully disbanding the police department that murdered George Floyd.
History is being made in Minneapolis. As we celebrate this victory, we must remember that our fight for justice isn’t over. But unanimous approval from the City Council is just more proof that people-powered, grassroots organizing works — and we have to keep up the fight everywhere.
Black organizers on the ground in Minneapolis, like our partners Black Visions and Reclaim The Block, have been leading the fight to defend Black lives and invest in Black communities for years. From pushing for divestment from policing to demanding a new city charter and holding council members accountable every step of the way, right now, we are seeing the fruits of the labor of those who came before us.
Color of Change is proud to stand with vanguards like Black Visions and Reclaim The Block to demand investments in our communities, not cops. And with help from people like you, we sent thousands of texts, tweets, and letters demanding action — and made more than 2,200 calls to Minneapolis City Council members in just two days.
That’s people power. We made sure that the Minneapolis City Council kept their promise to reimagine community safety by drafting a charter amendment that removes MPD from the equation. We didn’t let up. We made our voices heard. Last week, the council listened.
This is a big step forward for our movement, and the eyes of the nation are still on Minneapolis.
The charter amendment moves forward. And as we continue to hold Minneapolis leaders accountable until the amendment ends up on the ballot, a new fight to divest from policing and invest in our communities is heating up in New York City.
John, thanks to action from people like you, Minneapolis took a big step forward on Friday. Now, our communities must stand in solidarity with Black New Yorkers fighting for their lives against the NYPD, the largest police force in the nation with one of the most over-funded, bloated police budgets in the world.
Color of Change is standing with Communities United for Police Reform (CPR) to demand that Mayor de Blasio cut $1 billion from the NY Police’s massive $6 BILLION budget. We must continue the fight to protect Black lives everywhere, and demand that our cities invest in what keeps us safe, healthy, and housed.
NYPD has the largest police budget in the nation by far at $6 billion dollars each year. You can buy a lot of things with $6 billion dollars, and NYPD has spent that money with abandon to terrorize and brutalize Black New Yorkers. With an arsenal of chemical weapons, tanks, sniper units, surveillance towers, and sound grenades at their disposal, NYPD looks more like an army prepared for war than a city police department.
Black and Brown communities — from Los Angeles to Minneapolis to New York City — don’t need militaries in our backyards. We need investment in the systems that allow our communities to thrive.
Tell Mayor de Blasio: Defund NYPD. Invest in communities.
What is happening in Minneapolis is proof that we can change the system. We can reimagine community safety. We can demand better from elected officials. But we can’t win unless we stay in the fight.
Until justice is real,
Scott, Rashad, Arisha, Erika, Malachi, Marybeth, Madison, Ernie, Leonard, McKayla and the rest of the Color Of Change team
Color Of Change is building a movement to elevate the voices of Black folks and our allies, and win real social and political change. Please help keep our movement strong.
