NPR's Rachel Martin talks to Minneapolis City Council President Lisa Bender about plans to defund and dismantle the city's police department following George Floyd's death and nationwide protests.

I mean, I think it's important to step back and realize that Minneapolis is a relatively small city - 430,000 people - and this is not the first time that police have killed a community member in recent years.

But, you know, to see George Floyd killed in the way he was, I think, just shows to our community that these incremental steps we've been taking are not working to solve this toxic culture and our police department, to break through the lack of accountability.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)

LORI LIGHTFOOT: You can have all the policies that you want, and I think the Chicago Police Department has policies that would be the equivalent of two New York City police departments.

So I think we've seen that even if we have inspiring and inspired leadership in our chief, even if - you know, for the last five years or so, our two police chiefs of color have interviewed every single recruit coming into the department themselves in order to help efforts to diversify the force, both racially through many practices but also to look for those qualities that we want in police officers.

BlackFacts Details

Carrie Saxton Perry

Literature Facts

Facts About Women

Spirituality Facts

United States Facts