Republican Senators refuse to deliver real criminal justice reform
SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Early this morning, Senate Republicans ended Minnesota’s special legislative session without passing the comprehensive police and criminal justice reform bill that recently passed the Minnesota House of Representatives thanks to the hard work of the DFL Party People of Color and Indigenous Caucus.
Ken Martin, Chairman of the Minnesota DFL Party, released the following statement on the failure of Senate Republicans do work with DFLers to pass criminal justice and policing reform:
“The eyes of the nation are on Minnesota after the tragic murder of George Floyd at the hands of four Minneapolis police officers. Since we cannot give George Floyd back the breath and life that he deserves and was denied, the least we can do is give him justice. It is our responsibility to reform our criminal justice and policing systems in order to end the senseless violence against Black Minnesotans.
“As the state with the only divided legislature in the nation, we had the opportunity to prove that Minnesotans can rise above partisanship and do what’s right for George Floyd, the Black community, and communities of color across our state. Unfortunately, Paul Gazelka and Senate Republicans have abandoned their responsibility to fix our broken policing system and refused to work with DFL Party lawmakers to enact real and meaningful change. By leaving town before the job is done, Senate Republicans shut out the cries for reform emanating from across Minnesota and demonstrated a complete unwillingness to make divided government work.
“It’s not enough any more for Republicans to just be the party that says no to every proposal that comes before them. It’s past time for the Republicans to put real ideas on the table on how to deal with the myriad of issues our state and nation face. Enough is enough – if Republicans can’t be part of ushering in change, then replacing them is the only solution. I strongly encourage Minnesotans frustrated at the lack of any real criminal justice and policing reform to vote Senate Republicans out of office this November.”