lpetrich
Contributor
That seems rather drastic.
Tarana J. Burke on Instagram: “There has been a lot of talk about the @mvmnt4blklives call to #defundthepolice in recent weeks and some folks are confused or think it’s a way radical idea. It’s not. This breakdown from @theslacktivists (via @djalibc ) is helpful.
#blacklivesmatter”
I've OCRed the Instagram pictures - OwlOCR is great. - and reformatted their text to make it more readable.
Tarana J. Burke on Instagram: “There has been a lot of talk about the @mvmnt4blklives call to #defundthepolice in recent weeks and some folks are confused or think it’s a way radical idea. It’s not. This breakdown from @theslacktivists (via @djalibc ) is helpful.
#blacklivesmatter”
I've OCRed the Instagram pictures - OwlOCR is great. - and reformatted their text to make it more readable.
That looks at least halfway sensible. There is a lot of policing that is just plain unnecessary. Like drug policing.Why Do People Say Defund the Police?
In the last few days, you might have seen #DefundThePolice trending on Twitter. Here's a breakdown:
What does it mean to defund the police? Defunding the police means reducing police budgets (& power) on a local and state level and investing that money directly into poor communities of color through public services.
Reforming the police is not working. Policing reforms or "procedural reforms" are changes to police department protocols like implicit bias training, mindfulness, and police-community encounters. These procedural changes cost cities millions and even billions of dollars, like in NYC. Minneapolis was a model for progressive policing reform, but those efforts have been ineffective stopping police abuse.
In the last 40 years, police power and jurisdiction have expanded massively, especially in poor communities of color. Police response doesn't serve the best interests of poor communities of color. The police answer to mismanaged schools? School policing (school to prison pipeline). Inadequate mental health services? Police. Drug overdoses? Criminalize users. The police has historically adopted a hostile and aggressive "war on crime" mentality that leaves Black and brown people imprisoned or killed. Instead of investing in poor communities of colors, cities respond by putting greater police presence and granting them managerial authority.
Defunding the police reduces their presence in poor communities of color, reducing police-civilian interaction, and thus violent altercations.
Public institutions are being defunded while police budgets are increasing. Police budgets are consistently increased but community and public institutions are slashed like schools, hospitals, and libraries. Then, infrastructure in poor communities deteriorates, and police are put there as a solution to "solve" every social problem instead of addressing the root causes.
Redirected and reinvested public funds can uplift those communities while also reducing crime and increasing safety. Research shows that crime is a response to social conditions, so by defunding police and redirecting money into communities, violent crime is reduced and communities are uplifted.
What does defunding look like? Divesting & investing: money diverted away from police is redistributed to areas disproportionately affected by poverty and lack of infrastructure (often communities of color). Redirecting resources into community-based initiatives: this helps local grassroots groups that have been doing work in those areas for so long and who know and have been engaging with their own communities. Implementing non police solutions to social problems: Affordable housing, healthcare, employment--all are safety issues.
* Instead of punitive or criminalized, restorative and supportive community measures can address these issues.
* More counselors, after-school programs, trauma services, anti-violence programs.
How can I get involved with calling for defunding police in my city? Demand city councils and mayors to reject city budgets with expanded & militarized police budgets. Demand mayors to de-escalate police forces. Contact the Independent Budget Office for budget literacy. Email or call Director of Office and Management for the Mayor.
Possible script: "Hi my name is and am a resident of ___. I am asking to call an emergency council meeting and deny the mayor's proposed budget. I would like to redirect money away from __PD into these social service programs: (___) It is crucial that this meeting is called because police are currently being paid overtime for current protests."
@_erichu
Sources & more reading:
"THE SAFEST COMMUNITIES DON'T HAVE THE MOST COPS; THEY HAVE THE MOST RESOURCES."
- The Only Solution Is to Defund the Police - The Nation
- The Pandemic Is the Right Time to Defund the Police - New Republic
- The answer to police violence IS not 'reform'. It's defunding. Here's why - The Guardian
- No More Money for the Police - NYT
- York Senator Makes The Case For Defunding the NYPD - The Appeal
- Defund The Police Now - The Appeal Defund Police: Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor Says Budgets Wrongly Prioritize Cops Over Schools, Hospitals - Democracy Now
- The Price of Defunding the Police - City Lab
JILLIAN JOHNSON
DURNAM MAYOR PRO TEMPORE