Learn English with the News – Minneapolis lawmakers to disband police department in historic move

The local government from the city of Minneapolis, in the United States, has decided it will eliminate its police force.

The news is a consistent source of entertainment, knowledge and discovery that never ceases to exist and always comes out with more and more material each day. Because it plays such a vital part in our lives and is so important to keep up with, it is without a doubt a piece of your everyday routine that can’t go ignored.

Whether it is to understand the ramifications of recent legislation passed, to hear about recent events and grasp the potential consequences to your country, or simply hear about what is happening in other countries in order to compare them to what’s happening in yours, the news is certainly a staple in our lives and the most consistent way to get information.

This is why Scrambled Eggs has decided to unite two of your biggest worlds: learning English and keeping up with what is happening in the world. We hope our challenging daily exercises, composed of listening, vocabulary and comprehension exercises in English, will satisfy both of those above worlds in a satisfactory and also entertaining way.

So enough about introductions, let’s get to today’s Learn English with the News topic:

Adapted from this article.

Now that you’ve had a listen, let’s put your knowledge to the test with some of our vocabulary and comprehension exercises:

Full Text:

The Minneapolis city council has pledged to disband the city’s police department and replace it with a new system of public safety, a historic move that comes as calls to defund law enforcement are sweeping the US. Speaking at a community rally on Sunday, councilmembers declared their intent to “abolish” the police agency responsible for George Floyd’s death – and build an alternative model for community safety. The decision is a direct response to the massive protests all over American cities in the last two weeks, and is a major victory for activists who have fought to disband police and prisons. Minneapolis citizens are committed to a reform that will ensure community safety and recreate the system. Nine councilmembers announced their support and represent a supermajority on the twelve-person council, meaning the mayor, who earlier this weekend opposed this decision, cannot override them. The remaining three councilmembers are supportive of the effort as well, but weren’t ready to sign, activists said. While the mayor has oversight over the police, the city council has authority over the budget and policy, and could work to dissolve the department through budget cuts and ordinances. The formal effort to abolish a major-city police department in America and replace it with a different model of safety would have been unthinkable even weeks ago and is a testament to the impact of the protests that began with Floyd’s death on 25 May. The 46-year-old was killed by Minneapolis police when an officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes. Four officers now face criminal charges.

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