By Valerie Richardson - The Washington Times - Sunday, June 28, 2020

Three members of the Minneapolis city council are being protected by taxpayer-funded private security even as they support a proposal to abolish the police department.

The council members — Andrea Jenkins, Phillipe Cunningham and Alondra Cano — have received death threats since George Floyd was killed May 25 in police custody, according to Fox9 in Minneapolis, which broke the story.

The security has cost the city $4,500 per day, or $63,000, in the last three weeks, prompting allegations of hypocrisy and a double standard, given the members’ support for eradicating the police department.

“The same clowns that voted to disband the Minneapolis police force have hired private security companies to look after them. They can afford to. You can’t,” tweeted Human Events managing editor Ian Miles Cheong.

The Minneapolis city council voted unanimously Friday for a proposed ballot measure to eliminate the department and replace it with a “holistic” approach to public safety.

The measure, which would appear on the Nov. 3 ballot if approved by the charter commission, would establish a Department of Community Safety and Violence Prevention and remove the police as a charter department.

The Minneapolis mayor typically receives protection by a police officer, but not the 13 council members.

“My concern is the large number of white nationalist(s) in our city and other threatening communications I’ve been receiving,” Ms. Jenkins told Fox9 in an email.

The private security is intended to be temporary until a permanent protection solution can be approved.

• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.

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