Minneapolis pastor pleads for 'greater cop presence' in neighborhoods: 'Crime is on the up and up'

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Minneapolis pastor reacts to continued chaos in his city: We need a greater police presence

It's like the wild, wild West, Vine Church Pastor Steve Carlisle tells Tucker Carlson on 'Tucker Carlson Tonight.'

A Minneapolis pastor told "Tucker Carlson Tonight" that his neighborhood has become like the "Wild, Wild West" as the police presence has dwindled following the death of George Floyd.

"Crime is on the up and up," Vine Church MPLS Pastor Steve Carlisle told host Tucker Carlson.

"We need a greater cop presence," he added, "and there are incidents -- I just happen to live about six blocks from the Third Precinct, six blocks away from where the Target was burned down [in riots after Floyd's death] and I can tell you, speaking for where I live, it would seem like the Wild, Wild West.

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"People are just bold enough to fire guns and break into places. It's just, it becomes scary."

In the wake of Floyd's death and the subsequent unrest, the Minneapolis City Council proposed to abolish the police department and replace it with a Department of Community Safety and Violence Prevention. A proposal to alter the city's charter to allow the change passed the council unanimously, though the city's voters must ultimately approve it.

"You know what, it's sad to see ... " said Carlisle, a Minneapolis native. "Minneapolis is a beautiful place. It's really sad to see people move out and it's sad to see people live in fear."

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Carlisle said he and his wife have seven children and his family feels the tension in their neighborhood.

"There's no sirens and there's no cop presence, you know, there's no cops pulling up and wanting to get to know, talk with us," he said. "So, that's a little bit disheartening."