De-Funding the Police... what is next step?..

[Peacetrain]

I see calls for de funding the police.. and I am not exactly sure what is meant by that.

By de-funding the police, if you take away all their funds, then they cease to exist, so my assumption (and yes I know, to assume makes an ass out of you and me..) is that parts of funds now going to the police would be re-directed into other areas?

Have I got that right?

Because it is the nature of humans to live in groups, we are a social animal, and likewise, we appoint people (in a democracy) to carry out laws for the good of society.

If we got rid of the police completely , something would have to arise to fill the vacuum... and that is usually the biggest bully in the neighborhood. (which is exactly the problem we have right now!)

We cannot keep going as we have. But we have to keep touch with our police. Bring them back into the neighborhoods and out of the cars.

We cannot have people on a force who look at someone and the fear of the other would lets them murder a man or a woman.

[still_one]

1. Getting rid of racist infiltration, and reform and restructuring, yes, but defunding is not going

Last edited Sun Jun 7, 2020, 07:05 PM - Edit history (1)

anywhere


https://www.google.com/amp/s/news.yahoo.com/amphtml/yahoo-news-you-gov-poll-most-americans-say-race-was-a-major-factor-in-george-floyds-death-but-opinions-on-protests-are-split-193951336.html

Asked whether they would back cuts in funding for police departments, 65 percent of Americans said no. Just 16 percent said yes — a number that held steady across party lines, with Democrats at 16 percent, Republicans at 15 percent and independents at 17 percent.

[Peacetrain]

4. I mean I will be the first in line, to say if we can resturcture this funding

to do more in-depth intervention with police to get rid of those with biases so strong they are a danger to the public..I am good for that.. we have to start somewhere for sure!..

[WhiskeyGrinder]

2. Here's a great place to start.

https://www.mpd150.com/faq/

[janterry]

3. I do not support defunding the police

n/t

[Goonch]

5. Yeah! Make them buy their own pepper balls

like the rest of us /s

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

6. Disbanding or defunding aren't quite the right terms.

Here in Minneapolis the City Council is using some of that language but they are not really going to abolish the police department. What they are trying to do is reassign certain community functions to people who are not regular police officers. There will still be officers whose job will be to deal with serious crimes, but with proper training in the use of non-violent arrest techniques wherever possible, de-escalation of violent situations and using equitable, non-racist enforcement processes. Other functions will be spun off to social workers and psychologists who know how to handle problematic behaviors of people who are mentally ill or intoxicated (and not just shoot them or tase them). Most routine traffic enforcement can be handled by other personnel or with cameras. The point is that we don't need heavily-armed, militarized police officers for everything, so they propose to reorganize the department and re-direct funding - not eliminate the entire law enforcement function of the police department. https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-news/councilor-describes-what-minneapolis-with-fewer-police-could-look-like

[Blasphemer]

7. +1 The terminology is wrong so there needs to be better messaging around it. nt

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

9. Reorganizing? Repurposing?

[Peacetrain]

11. I think you are absolutely right... it is a open interpretation of the terminology

being used that is the most confusing..

[Raven123]

8. Calls for defunding play into the right wing's hands.

We need law enforcement, just like we need medical research, the pandemic response teem, WHO, etc.. I see it as an overly simplistic demand that will not succeed and distract from more constructive solutions. Hopefully the Congressional Black Caucus produces a comprehensive legislative proposal that will pass in the House and be a part of the Dem platform.

[Crunchy Frog]

10. I would get rid of the police unions,

or at least reduce their power and influence dramatically.

They seem to be the biggest impediment to meaningful reform, or to holding bad cops accountable. They seem to be run by racists and fascists too, for the most part.

As far as defunding the police, maybe we should be looking at redirecting some of that money towards improving rather than policing communities.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

13. The police unions have been the biggest roadblock to reform,

not just here in Minneapolis (and may Bob Kroll fry in Hell), but everywhere. I support the labor movement in general, but that's not what the police federations are about.

[Marrah_Goodman]

12. I don't want them defunded. I want them held accountable.

And I want all their military surplus toys removed from every single department.

[johnp3907]

14. Keep an eye on Minneapolis.

https://theappeal.org/minneapolis-city-council-members-announce-intent-to-disband-the-police-department-invest-in-proven-community-led-public-safety/

[zak247]

15. Pretty stupid idea

Young idiot radicals probably agents for Trump advocating that ridiculous idea.

Even defunding is unwise.

They need more money to train them in antiracist tactics.
Human rights training also.

[not_the_one]

16. The idiots who thought this one up, weren't thinking to start with.

Everyone will immediately read GET RID OF POLICE. THAT is not going to happen, and shouldn't.

Messaging is everything, and they blew it big time with this one.

We are sometimes our own worst enemy.

[Lucinda]

17. Community based policing is a frequently mentioned alternative

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_policing

Wikipedia has an interesting overview

[Dorian Gray]

18. I think reform should be what is looked at

As defunding (and abolishing) won't be popular in middle america.

What should happen is a roll out of publicity about the Camden (NJ) police department, how they disbanded and rebranded after a lot of training. They're a success story. Learned a new way to engage with the community and crime and murder (was the murder capital of the USA for a bit there) are WAY down.

I think if we study successful police departments we can learn ways that the police can learn to actually serve the communities they are in and help protect people rather than harm them.