Thread by @NBCNews

Next week, Minneapolis residents will vote on whether to replace the Minneapolis Police Department with an agency that provides a "comprehensive public health approach" to public safety.

Reporting by @janellefiona.
nbcnews.to/3Cp3BPm
(1/6) #NBCNewsThreads

The ballot measure says the new department "could include" police officers "if necessary."

According to JaNaé Bates, a spokeswoman for the coalition that petitioned for the initiative, passage would not "abolish" the police or lead to the firings of any officers. (2/6)

Supporters of the proposal say it would bolster public safety to include not just police officers but also mental health and substance abuse experts, violence interrupters and others better suited to handle situations that armed police officers ordinarily face. (3/6)

However, opponents have seized on the vague wording and newness of the ballot initiative, suggesting that it would effectively "defund" the police and fail to address violence in the city. (4/6)

"If I vote no, then do things just stay the same?" says Candis McKelvy, a North Minneapolis resident.

That question is on the minds of many residents as they approach one of the first major tests of the national police reform movement since George Floyd's death last year. (5/6)

A recent poll of 800 likely voters found that 49% of those surveyed supported replacing the police department and giving the City Council more authority over public safety. 41% opposed and 10% were undecided.

The vote will take place on Nov. 2. (6/6)