There is little to say about why the police should not be defunded. The episodes of #police brutality and their judgment of criminals based on skin tone have been on the table for years. And now California wants the officers removed.
It is sad and surprising how a police officer's brutality no longer surprises us. Some police funds should be directed to other meaningful sources where the public can see the development happening.
George Floyd and Steven Taylor were killed by police officers and made headline news. These are the cases that sparked and stirred the nation, but there are many more deaths by police that either went unnoticed or were covered up.
Floyd was unarmed, and Taylor was bipolar. To say that police use force, “do it for protection of the public and maintaining law and order,” is an outrage. We need real change, and we want to see it happen.
There’s an urgent need for us to stop investing in police and invest in community-centric causes, addressing the root causes of crime. These investments should also make their way to health care and schools, eradicating poverty and addressing drug abuse and mental health issues.
If you still feel you don’t have enough reasons to support defunding the police, here are some additional reasons to help you consider supporting defunding the police:
The police are not a neutral body because they are highly biased. Over the past 40 years, a huge expansion of racially biased policing has “fueled the mass incarceration” in America by African-Americans at a rate of five times more than whites.
The US government spends $100 billion per year on the police department. That’s a huge amount. Based on the results of this expensive policing, a major portion of society remains deprived. While investments in schools, physical and mental health, housing, and care for the poor communities go unattended, we must stop investing in expensive law enforcement.
Black Lives Matter came into existence recently, but the Black community has been oppressed for centuries. Not only them but anyone who is not white or not from America has been subjected to prejudice in the US.
The urge to defund the police has come from almost all the nation's cities. One or two cities may be wrong about their perception of the police department, but not all. Given the huge monetary contribution to the police department, the cities are falling short of funds now. Several cities have already begun to make cuts to their police contribution to increase spending on other necessary departments.
Yes, California and every other state should agree to defunding police and reallocating the funds to more constructive public services.
