FLASHBACK: Walz backed ‘alternatives to policing’ package at height of defund movement

Days after the city of Minneapolis was crippled by violent riots after the death of George Floyd and at the height of the “defund the police movement,” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz endorsed a package of progressive police reforms that included “alternatives to policing.”

“Minnesotans are demanding real change,” Walz said during a June 11, 2020, press conference endorsing a police reform package put together by the Minnesota People of Color and Indigenous (POCI) Caucus. He called it one of his “legislative priorities.”

“We stand united with House and Senate leaders and the People of Color and Indigenous Caucus, ready to get to work during the upcoming special session. I stand with the legislators who have coordinated a powerful set of reforms to make meaningful changes to our law enforcement system in Minnesota.”

A daily update that year from the Minnesota House of Representatives also noted, “Members of the People of Color and Indigenous Caucus joined Gov. Tim Walz Thursday to present 18 bills they plan to introduce during the special session that begins Friday. Each bill deals with an aspect of police policy, training or discipline that caucus members believe will improve public safety and relations between officers and the communities they serve.” 

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“This is a coordinated and powerful set of reforms,” Walz said at the time. “Minnesota will change the way we do policing.”

The “powerful set of reforms” included a call to create an Office of Community-Led Public Safety Coordination, which would “promote and monitor alternatives to traditional policing models” and award grants for “healing circles.”

The proposal states that “$7,450,000 is appropriated for grants to promote healing support in the black, indigenous, and communities of color in Minnesota. The Office will provide grants to community-based organizations that provide programs and direct intervention to promote wellness and healing justice. Grants would be made available for, but not limited to, the expansion of community organizations that provide healing and wellness services, providing healing circles, restorative justice circles, and community coach certification programs.”

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“We’re supporting that slate of legislative proposals,” Walz said during a press conference June 10, 2020, three days after the Minneapolis City Council pledged to disband its police force.

Walz ultimately signed police reforms into law as part of the Minnesota Police Accountability Act. However, the legislation did not include an Office of Community-Led Public Safety Coordination.

“This bipartisan bill follows decades of advocacy by communities of color,” Walz said when the legislation was approved. “And it is a good first step. These are long overdue changes, but they do not end the conversation we’re having about police accountability. The POCI Caucus has shown tremendous leadership on this issue, and I look forward to continuing our work with them to bring meaningful reform.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris/Walz campaign for comment but did not receive a response. 

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