"Defund the police" Could we get better at branding, please? Here's Kurt Eichenwald's take,

[Sunsky]

39. BS

There's no hijacking of the effort. It was born out of the black lives matter movement, so Kurt may not be able to understand it. He speaks for many of course because he's a part of the majority. I love Kurt but sometimes it pays to just sit and listen. I know he's of Jewish background but that isn't worn on the outside of the skin, so people won't judge you just by looking at you. I was vocally in support of him when he was targeted on twitter but I disagree with him on this.
Did Eichenwald know that many in the black community are fearful of calling the police even when they need them? How wonderful for you to feel safe when you are robbed, that the police won't come and assume that you are the robber and you end up dead. It must be nice to have the peace of mind that the police will do their jobs and the perpetrators will be brought to justice. Some of us do not have that luxury. Some of us call the police and end up dying. Some of our neighbors call the police out of concern for us and we end up dying at their hands while playing video games.
The defund the police movement is not a remove the police movement. It is about diverting some of the money from policing to rehabilitation programs and the restoration of black and other minority communities. The defund the police movement is not just a slogan, it is taking into consideration the years of abuse and mistreatment of African Americans at the hands of those who were supposed to be protecting and serving us.
The black community is thinking beyond one election, the systemic problem has been ongoing for many years and under both parties. Change is a must. One of the many reasons I loved Hillary is that criminal justice reform was one of her key platforms. I believe Hillary would've tried to make substantive changes. This systemic problem has been in place despite who is in power. Think about how this is psychologically impacting the black community. Witnessing our brothers and sisters dying simply because of their skin color and also wonder when will it come to our doorsteps? We have gotten a few cities to rethink their policing budgets and that's a start. We are fighting for our lives. If Democrats continue to behave like this issue is only about this election cycle and not about the lives of black people, this will create division and suppress votes in minority communities.