The future of Minneapolis policing is on the ballot. Here's what you need to know.
CBSN
Nearly a year and a half after the most populous city in Minnesota became the focal point of a nationwide rallying cry against police brutality, Minneapolis residents will vote on the future of policing for their community. Question 2: "Shall the Minneapolis City Charter be amended to remove the Police Department and replace it with a Department of Public Safety that employs a comprehensive public health approach to the delivery of functions by the Department of Public Safety, with those specific functions to be determined by the Mayor and City Council by ordinance; which will not be subject to exclusive mayoral power over its establishment, maintenance, and command; and which could include licensed peace officers (police officers), if necessary, to fulfill its responsibilities for public safety, with the general nature of the amendments being briefly indicated in the explanatory note below, which is made a part of this ballot?"
The referendum, better known as "Question 2" on Tuesday's ballot, asks Minneapolis voters to amend the city's charter by replacing the existing police with a public safety department that would prioritize a "comprehensive public health approach."
Ashley White received her earliest combat action badge from the United States Army soon after the first lieutenant arrived in Afghanistan. The silver military award, recognizing soldiers who've been personally engaged by an attacker during conflict, was considered an achievement in and of itself as well as an affirming rite of passage for the newly deployed. White had earned it for using her own body to shield a group of civilian women and children from gunfire that broke out in the midst of her third mission in Kandahar province. All of them survived. She never mentioned the badge to anyone in her battalion.