"Defund the police," sounds like a cry for emptying out all of the police stations tomorrow, but in general the movement advocates for a stepwise unwinding, beginning with some inarguably necessary ideas.
The long game is to abolish the police entirely. Mariame Kaba advocates for the immediate reduction of police staff and budget by half.
This sounds scary. From both the, “I want to have someone to call if my house gets broken into,” and the, “Trump will have a field day with this,” camps.
But efforts to solve police violence through liberal reforms like these have failed for nearly a century.
This needs to be answered. I don’t think police are inherently or especially racist, but modern policing comes from a white supremacist system. Trump’s executive order sure doesn’t.
The first thing to point out is that police officers don’t do what you think they do. They spend most of their time responding to noise complaints, issuing parking and traffic citations, and dealing with other noncriminal issues.
Let’s reduce the officers who out themselves as unfit to serve and protect, such as the Buffalo riot squad guys, or the SWAT team dudes in Hallandale Beach (why in the world does Hallandale Beach, Pop. ~37,113, have a SWAT unit?).
Resign from the special tactical unit? Sure,while you’re at it, turn in your badge and gun on your way out the door.
Former Dallas Police Chief, and current Chicago Police Superintendent, David Brown:
We’re asking cops to do too much in this country.
The protests aren't just about the murder of George Floyd or, since I started writing this, Rayshard Brooks. Unarmed Americans. Unarmed, black Americans. These protests are about the relentless list of men, women and children killed by cops who are in way over their heads.
It’s about extrajudicial violence.
The protests aren’t just about racism within police departments, they’re about systemic racism in America. My friend Dan sent me this astounding account at a bastion of Elite Liberal Education. I’ll take Tyrone Hayes’ word for it.
The protests are about the mass incarceration of young American people of color.
The solution to this can’t just be Joe Biden’s $300 million for body cameras on cops and a community policing program.
A solution needs eradicate white supremacist cops. It needs to include the decriminalization of petty crimes, such as selling loose cigarettes, or passing a fake 20, or being drunk in a Wendy's.
It needs to include legal reforms, like ending cash bail. The majority of people behind bars in America have not yet been convicted.
The Pre-Trial Justice Institute noted,
“Six out of 10 people in U.S. jails—nearly a half million individuals on any given day—are awaiting trial. People who have not been found guilty of the charges against them account for 95% of all jail population growth between 2000-2014.”
We need to stop sending cops to deal with things that make us uncomfortable, like homelessness, vagrancy, loud music, an annoying neighbor's television. All this shit gets escalated when someone wearing a gun shows up.
As I mentioned last week, we need to demilitarize the police.
Like, the cops have to put giant labels on their fatigues in order to differentiate them from the bad guys in Albuquerque.
These proposed eight requirements for police should already be enforced everywhere. Why they aren’t already in place?
Ban chokeholds and strangleholds
Require de-escalation
Require a warning before shooting
Exhaust all alternatives before shooting
Intervene when other officers use excessive force
Ban shooting at moving vehicles
Require severe forms of force for severe situations
Require comprehensive reporting
They’ll be good for white people, too.
Dave Chappelle 8:46
13th, a Documentary on Netflix
Why does any city have a SWAT team?
White Supremacists organizing violence for the ‘boogaloo.’ https://www.businessinsider.com/white-supremacist-telegram-channel-encourages-violence-george-floyd-protests-2020-6
Donald Trump Momentarily Pretends to Care About Police Reform (unsurprisingly, Trump is surrounded by mostly old, white men)
A great example of “defunding the police” right amongst us (a thread):
I’m selling versions of this image as prints and tshirts.
All proceeds will be donated equally to Black Lives Matter, and Chicago Freedom School.
Thank you for reading. I’d love to hear what you think; feel free to reply to this email.
The cop car on cinder blocks would make a good sticker and likely t shirt.