In Minneapolis, Minnesota, America, where a black security guard George Floyd died this summer, people are afraid to go out.
The protests that began six months ago over Floyd's death do not stop, but only intensify. Civilians do not go out on the street because they are afraid, they know that in the event of an attack, there will be no one to protect them. After all, most police officers after the incident with Floyd either quit themselves or were laid off.
Back in June, the city council cut the police budget by about $ 14 million. Instead, Mayor Jacob Frey has pledged to launch a new public safety program. Immediately after that, most of the police officers wrote a letter of resignation, and some chose to retire early.
“We had to refuse to work with the population,” says police chief Medaria Arradondo. – Now we also cannot conduct investigations in the form in which we should. We are short of people when violent crime, gunfire, car theft and robbery have increased in the state.
More than 500 people have been shot dead in Minneapolis alone this year, double the number in 2019, and homicides are up 50%, police said. About 5 thousand violent crimes have been committed in the city. This is the highest figure in the last 5 years.
The authorities are trying to take steps to resolve the problem. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has asked for three new classes at the Police Academy for 2021. But even taking into account its graduates, it will take at least a year to normalize the patrol schedule.
