Eight Minneapolis residents have filed a lawsuit against the city, alleging there is a lack of police patrolling the streets.
WCCO reports:
[Cathy] Spann and seven other residents have sued the city of Minneapolis, and they had their day in court Monday, where a judge heard their pleas for help. Attorney James Dickey is representing the residents. […]
According to Dickey, the city charter says a minimum of 753 officers is needed to protect residents. He says the city would not say how many officers are actually on the street. Former city council member Don Samuels and his wife Sondra are among the residents being represented by Dickey.
“We didn’t get anything we think from the city, and their affidavits they provided or today in court that would actually indicate that they have enough police on the force to keep Minneapolis safe, according to the city charter,” Dickey said in a statement to the news outlet.
Sondra Samuels, also a petitioner, told the outlet: “This is like all they are focused on is having a reimagined police department while we’re focused on staying alive.”
The judge, who did not issue a ruling on the lawsuit Monday, has 90 days to arrive at a decision.
Some Minneapolis residents have recently conceded that the city faces a growing problem with violence in the wake of riots sparked by the death of George Floyd, an African-American man who died while in police custody in May.
“It hurts. I wish that I could find ways to help everybody feel more comfortable and more safe,” Councilman Steve Fletcher told KARE11 earlier this month.
As Breitbart News reported: “Statistics from the Minneapolis Police Department show that in the past year alone, violent crimes rose by 20 percent, leaving many residents wondering how the city can put an end to these acts of violence.”
Earlier this year, the Minneapolis city council unanimously supported a pledge to abolish the police.