Americans support Black Lives Matter but resist shifts of police funds or removal of statues of Conf

[Eugene]

Source: Washington Post

Americans support Black Lives Matter but resist shifts of police funds or removal of statues of Confederate generals or presidents who were enslavers

By Emily Guskin, Scott Clement and Dan Balz
7/21/2020, 6:00:00 a.m.

A majority of Americans support the Black Lives Matter movement and a record 69 percent say black people and other minorities are not treated as equal to white people in the criminal justice system. But the public generally opposes calls to shift some police funding to social services or remove statues of Confederate generals or presidents who enslaved people, a Washington Post-ABC News poll finds.

These findings underscore the mixed fallout after the brutal killing of George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis police in May. There is increased public scrutiny of police treatment of black Americans, but less unity on broader questions about how to address the country’s treatment of black Americans since its founding.

Stark divisions exist between different racial groups and among varied political identities, not surprisingly given the high profile that President Trump has taken in fanning opposition to Black Lives Matter protesters and their desired changes.

Americans’ confidence in police appears shaken after a wave of national protests following Floyd’s killing. Compared with 2014, fewer Americans say they are confident that police are adequately trained to avoid using excessive force. Meanwhile, more people say recent police killings of black people are “a sign of broader problems” in police conduct.

The share of Americans saying that black people and other minorities do not receive equal treatment in the criminal justice system has risen by 15 percentage points from 2014 — and this year marks the first time a majority of whites has held this view.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/americans-support-black-lives-matter-but-resist-shifts-of-police-funds-or-removal-of-statues-of-confederate-generals-or-presidents-who-were-enslavers/2020/07/21/02d22468-cab0-11ea-91f1-28aca4d833a0_story.html

[soothsayer]

1. Huh, I thought polls showed people were good with removing statues of traitors

Has it changed?

[KS Toronado]

2. All Confederate statues should be replaced with John Lewis, Martin Luther King,

George Washington Carver, Harriet Tubman, etc, etc, etc

[WhiskeyGrinder]

3. "Majority of Americans pay lip service to BLM movement while opposing things that could make a

difference."

[OhNo-Really]

5. Cut MIC funding as well. Fund social Services & education