Though nothing that can bring back the Black lives lost to police brutality, thousands upon thousands have rallied across the world to ensure that change can pave the way for improvement. Since the tragic death of George Floyd, which arrived in quick succession after those of Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor, among others, the streets have been lined with protestors standing up for the Black Lives Matter movement.
While in some places it has lead to heightened tension between police and civilians, other places have embraced the idea of change — in Minneapolis, the City Council recently announced plans to “disband” the police force, explaining their decision following a City Council meeting. Council Member Jeremiah Ellison announced the decision on June 4th, writing “We are going to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department. And when we’re done, we’re not simply gonna glue it back together. We are going to dramatically rethink how we approach public safety and emergency response. It’s really past due.”
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With the City Council believing that the Minneapolis Police Force has been failing to adequately protect the city, with City Council members citing a fifty-six percent murder solve rate in 2019, and a twenty-two percent rape solve rate in 2018 among other statistics. The inaction, paired with growing discontent with the all-too-often violent nature of American police tactics, has led to Minneapolis’ decision to look toward alternative solutions. As presented, one potential option is to allocate police budget funds toward social services like education and public housing.
While it’s likely that changes of this magnitude will take time, that hasn’t stopped J. Cole from recognizing the impact of the movement. In a rare Tweet, the Dreamville rapper deemed the movement “Powerful powerful,” sharing an article about the disbanding process. It should be noted that Cole was actively protesting in the streets of North Carolina, showing up as a man of the people and inspiring confidence in his fans. Clearly, he’s pleased with some of the changes set to be implemented, and we can only hope that further moves are taken to ensure an end to systemic racism within the police force.
