Current Events > Defunding the police

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I'm having trouble wrapping my mind around this movement. For starters, everyone has a different opinion on what "defunding" means. Some say that it means reform while others are saying it means complete abolishment. It doesn't seem like there is any unified vision for what defunding the police would mean or look like.

Perhaps the most frustrating part of this is that none of these activists seem to propose any realistic alternatives; I've read numerous articles and it seems like they just wanna get rid of the police and be done with it. They simply deflect everything and pin it on the police. Concerned about rapists or murderers running free? Well, the cops are rapists and murderers too! How about this proposal for social workers to respond to mental health calls? Are social workers gonna be trained and armed in case of a mentally unstable individual with a weapon? There's so many questions that need to be answered but all these "defund the police" advocates act like all citizens are peaceful people that wouldn't harm a fly if police/poverty didn't drive them to it.

I'm not saying these people are wrong or right, I'm just saying that abolishing police outright seems like the equivalent of cutting off your head because you suffer from migraines. I'd like to have a serious discussion about the issue but it seems like everybody is unwilling to listen to the other side. I agree that we need to end qualified immunity (immediately) in order to hold officers legally accountable for their actions. Police brutality is a huge issue that has affected my own family too. But getting rid of police altogether? I guess I shouldn't be surprised since it's 2020, but this sounds like an AnCap argument, not a liberal argument.

thrashmetal14 posted...

none of these activists seem to propose any realistic alternatives

i've seen a bunch of suggestions for community driven "policing", one idea was something like the black panthers

the biggest problem with the us police is it's foundations and it's pervasive culture of racism and brutality supported by the government.

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watertank posted...

i've seen a bunch of suggestions for community driven "policing", one idea was something like the black panthers

the biggest problem with the us police is it's foundations and it's pervasive culture of racism and brutality supported by the government.

Is every community going to be policed by militias/civilian groups? Because that sounds like corruption and injustice just waiting to happen. But then again, as you pointed out, we get more than enough corruption with public policing. Almost seems like there is no right answer.

The smartest thing to do is not to "defund" or "disband" the police, but to "detox" the police. Wipe the slate clean and get rid of everyone from top to bottom. Increase the standards and training that's required for them in order to hold a gun and a badge. Then reinstate the people that are worthy, knowledgable and respectful. That way, you get to keep the good cops that genuinely have a passion to protect and serve, and you get rid of the dirty cops that abuse their authority and rationalize their racism to harass and bully people.

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thrashmetal14 posted...

Is every community going to be policed by militias/civilian groups? Because that sounds like corruption and injustice just waiting to happen. But then again, as you pointed out, we get more than enough corruption with public policing. Almost seems like there is no right answer.

It definitely wouldn't make sense to do this with all communities, especially the extremes like NYC and LA.

Xenozoa425 posted...

Increase the standards and training that's required for them in order to hold a gun and a badge.

completely agree with this. I like portugal's model of requiring at least an associate's degree in psychology for each police officer.

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