Ilhan Omar Struggles to Answer How Law Will Be Enforced if Police Abolished - WATCH
Minnesota congresswoman pushes 'defunding the police' movement
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Progressive Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) found it difficult to answer who will be responsible for locking up criminals if the Minneapolis Police Department is disbanded.
Speaking on Sunday with CNN’s Jake Tapper, she was asked what would take the police department's place if the Democrats' campaign to defund them is accomplished.
“So, let’s talk about that, because you have talked about the dismantling, the need to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department,” Tapper said.
“What takes its place, and — if you could just decree what takes its place? Who investigates crimes?
"Who arrests criminals? What happens?”
“So, Minneapolis unanimously just voted on a resolution that will engage the community on a one-year process of what happens as we go through the process of dismantling the department and starting anew,” Omar responded.
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“A new way forward can’t be put in place if we have a department that is having a crisis of credibility, if we have a department that’s led by a chief who’s suited for racism, if we have a department that hasn’t solved homicide," Omar said.
“And so this is our opportunity, you know, as a city, to come together, have the conversation of what public safety looks like, who enforces the most dangerous crimes that take place in our community.”
But Omar was pressed again by Tapper on who would replace law enforcement.
“I think that’s really where the conversation is going wrong because no one is saying that the community is not going to be kept safe.”
WATCH:
Rep. @IlhanMN on “who investigates crimes” if the police department is “dismantled”:
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) June 14, 2020
“We have a department that’s led by a chief who’s suited for racism …. You can’t really reform a department that is rotten to the root." pic.twitter.com/OD3uZtfG8L
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The leftist congresswoman said increasing police funding “sounds ludicrous” to her.
Last week, Omar described cops as a "cancer" that "we have to amputate."
The Minnesota congresswoman doubled-down on her commitment to "completely dismantle" the Minneapolis Police Department last weekend.
Omar said law enforcement was “rotten to the root” and called for it to be defunded.
“Not only do we need to disinvest, but we need to completely dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department,” Omar told the cheering crowd during a "Defund the Police" rally.
