What "Defunding The Police" Really Means
Unpacking the topic that has taken social media by storm.
by MYKENNA MANIECE ★ JUNE 15, 2020
The powerful phrase “defund the police” has spread like wildfire, captivating social media audiences and major news outlets alike. As expected, the public has raised numerous questions regarding the safety and probability of something so drastic ever happening. We at UGirl are here to answer those questions and provide some context for the next phase of the Black Lives Matter movement.
A history of police in America:
The formation of American police departments varied significantly between the North and South. In the North, police departments evolved from watch groups composed of volunteers, many of whom were avoiding military service or doing so as a form of punishment. Conversely, in the South, police evolved from slave patrols. According to Dr. Gary Potter of Eastern Kentucky University, these patrols had three main functions: “(1) to chase down, apprehend, and return to their owners, runaway slaves; (2) to provide a form of organized terror to deter slave revolts; and (3) to maintain a form of discipline for slave-workers who were subject to summary justice, outside of the law, if they violated any plantation rules.” After the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation, the same men who oversaw the slave patrols were left in charge of official police departments throughout the region. They were responsible for enforcing the laws of the Jim Crow South which kept many Black people stuck working as laborers with little to no political power.
Over time, these local police organizations were consolidated into a cohesive force tasked with maintaining order such that society would remain controlled enough to optimize production rates from workers. Stability. Order. Capital. These initial goals of the American police force had no legitimate intention to protect the people. Often, poor immigrants and free Black Americans were classified as the cause of disorder in society, and therefore seen as dangerous. The police became a corrupt system focused on the aggressive surveillance and brutalization of underrepresented communities all while engaging in illegal activities of their own. Though the system may seem to have improved, we can’t deny the foundation it was built upon and the disparities that have been perpetuated by it. Thus, we’re left asking ourselves: How can you fix a system that’s been broken from the beginning? Spoiler alert: you can’t.
Defunding the police:
To defund the police is to reallocate funds back into our communities and to shift the responsibilities of officers away from situations that could be better handled by trained medical professionals and social workers. By re-prioritizing education, mental health services, and housing, society can rebuild in a way that would give people the opportunity to succeed. Thanks to the efforts of protests across the country, elected officials have already begun to act on these calls for change. Mayor Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles recently announced his plan to cut $100 million - $150 million from the LAPD. The LA Times reported that a total of about $250 million would be cut from various city departments and those funds would be invested “in job programs, health initiatives, and other services supporting the black community and other communities of color.” In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio released a similar plan to shift police funding toward youth programs.
In Minneapolis, city council members have proposed taking an even more aggressive approach to solving the city’s problems - dissolving the police force entirely. Lisa Bender, Council President, told CNN that the council is “committed to dismantling policing...in the city of Minneapolis and to rebuild with our community a new model of public safety that actually keeps our community safe.” However, the council’s proposal does not include eliminating the police department immediately. Rather, it will take the same approach of reallocating funds back toward the communities and working from there to evaluate which professionals are best suited to handle the city’s problems, such as EMT’s, firefighters, and mental health experts.
Will this work?
No U.S. city as large as Minneapolis has attempted to dissolve their police department, but the work of Camden, New Jersey seems promising. The city - once known as one of the most dangerous in the nation - disbanded their police in 2012 in order to rebuild. Many of the officers were rehired, but they were required to complete a 50-page application, participate in interviews, and complete psychological evaluations. An effort to bridge the gap between community members and law enforcement was issued by placing more officers out on the streets and encouraging them to learn about the people they serve. Furthermore, their performance was based on measures outside of ticketing and arrests made. In the eight years since reform began, violent crime has dropped by 42%. Though this arrangement is far from perfect, it reflects a shift toward increased dialogue and transparency that will be necessary for the future.
The concept of defunding the police has often been deemed “too radical,” but if we’ve learned anything in the weeks since George Floyd’s death it’s that the people are ready for real change. Already, we’ve seen the cops in Floyd’s murder charged, the removal of Confederate statues and flags, and legislation passed as no-knock warrants were officially banned in Louisville in honor of Breonna Taylor. Investing in communities gives people access to resources that could help change their lives for the better and ultimately lead to less of a need for policing. Tear gas and rubber bullets are not the answers to deeply-rooted systemic issues. Only through education, healthcare services, and more equal opportunities overall can we begin to address society’s real problems.
To take action, you can sign the Black Lives Matter petition and email your local government officials to advocate for budget changes.
Sources:
https://www.insider.com/calls-for-defund-the-police-budget-cuts-duty-changes-2020-6
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/08/us/los-angeles-george-floyd-protests.html
https://www.npr.org/2020/06/05/871083599/the-history-of-police-in-creating-social-order-in-the-u-s
https://plsonline.eku.edu/insidelook/history-policing-united-states-part-2
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-06-03/lapd-budget-unrest-garcetti
https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/07/us/george-floyd-protests-sunday/index.html
https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/09/us/disband-police-camden-new-jersey-trnd/index.html
Cover photo credit: Refinery29