Should funding for local police departments be redirected to social and community based programs?
There have been many cases to support why defunding would be necessary, such as the death of George…
It would be nice if they were more limited, less convoluted, and focused on ensuring the safety and rights of individuals. Nevertheless, the alternative is anarchy. Because we need laws, we need law-enforcement.
The death of George Floyd was wrong. But so was the knee-jerk reaction from society. A penalty of 25 years for the officer was excessive considering there was never proof it was his intent to kill. It was easily a manslaughter case, but hardly a murder. And what about the other officers getting 4+ years in prison when at least one of them was just doing crowd control, oblivious to what was going on behind him? This was all political. It was a perfect opportunity to get the masses worked up so they could be better manipulated. Among that, the media controlled the narrative the entire time and key information and questions were withheld and avoided. Consider the fact the Floyd was saying he couldn't breathe or wanted his mom long before he was on the ground. But we were told they were his dying words. Consider the fact that the number of drugs in his system was a deadly amount and could have contributed to his death. Even asking the question, "might George Floyd have lived if the drugs, which reduce respiratory function, had not been present" is considered pro-police, racist, right-wing propaganda. Regardless, it is a reasonable question and consideration,
The response to George Floyd's death was mass criminal misconduct. The costliest riot damage in US history along with over 50 deaths. The people wreaking this havoc were all calling for defunding the police. The rest of society going about their business, trying to live their life had to live in the midst of this. These people deserved law enforcement. They deserved not to have to live in fear of BLM/Antifa burning down their businesses or homes. They should not have had to put up signs that say, "children live here."
What was our response to this lawlessness? Defunding the police. Creating laws that make shoplifting and other crimes unenforceable. And what has been the result? Increased prices at the stores. Stores leaving communities, especially ones that need them the most, because of excessive violence and theft. Finally, realizing a lawless society does not work, we reinstated the police departments we made defunct. And the cost of doing so was huge.
Regarding Cop City, the claim is people are "frightened due to its alarming nature." You know what else is frightening? Real, actualized crime. Your house being broken into. The vehicle you use to get to work being stolen from your driveway. Losing you job because your company has decided the community does more harm than it's worth. It is time we stop worrying about the "fear and harm" from "representations and symbols" and go back to having police catch the bad guys.
We have already experimented with defunding the police and found out it didn't work. No city or community is better off today because they traded in law enforcement for social justice mantras and positive vibes. BLM did not fill the void. They did not come in and make sure the black communities were safe and secure. It has been pretty well established they are at best a scam artist organization and at worst a terrorist group.
The death of George Floyd showed that better training is needed for police officers. There have been changes in policing and this is good. More departments are using body cams, training on de-escalation tactics, participating in community engagement, etc. This costs money. If you want to defund the police to abolish them, you are asking for anarchy and the results will be what you ask for-- remember that. If you want to defund the police to punish them, you will have fewer officers working under more intense and stressful situations and this is ultimately going to cost more lives.
The legacy of George Floyd should not be one to do with race. There wasn't ever anything to suggest his death was racially motivated anyway and there are many better examples of racially motivated crimes to get any point about it across. His legacy should be that it brought about better policing, better relationships with the community, and lowered crime and created a better quality of life for previously downtrodden communities. Defunding the police and other "progressive" policies in response to crime only serve to harm communities and individuals. So far, that is the legacy three years later. Cities burnt to the ground, small businesses ruined, big businesses leaving. If you want to make sure his death brings about change, consider how we can change policing to serve the common man and stop the criminal. A call to defund police (as a response to bad police officers, as opposed to an overspending issue for example) is an emotional response with deadly and counter-productive results.
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