'Defund the police' movement gains traction as cities seek to respond to demands for a major law enforcement shift
A movement to slash funding for police departments or to disband them entirely has surged in the wake of George Floyd’s killing in Minneapolis police custody last month, with activists, local leaders and elected officials calling to drastically reshape public safety amid nationwide protests of police brutality.
The tension was on full display last week in Minneapolis, where racial justice advocates confronted Mayor Jacob Frey in front of a mass of protesters, asking if he would commit to defunding the police department. In Washington, Police Chief Peter Newsham cautioned lawmakers to move carefully, warning that not appropriately funding police departments could contribute to police brutality.“If you underfund a police agency, it impacts training, it impacts hiring, it impacts your ability to develop good leaders,” he toldThe defunding movement has also caught the attention of President Trump, who tweeted last week that he opposes cutting police budgets. “More money for Law Enforcement!” he wrote.
In October, leaders in the District hosted a forum on how to ensure children and teenagers have safe routes to and from school after students were killed on their commutes. Students said they wanted more officers to patrol their routes, but they also said they hated walking out of their school buildings in the afternoon and seeing police cars parked outside.
“I don’t think it’s an issue that we can put into one sentence, like defund the police,” George said. “But time and time again, where the leadership is lacking, they lean on wanting to do the same thing and expecting a different result.”
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