Scariest slogan ever, ain't it?
As usual, the right-wing will misinterpret and demonize this. And what can we say? It's kind of a layup to demonize and turn into a boogeyman.
Communists! Socialists! Well, over time, they have kinda lost their sting. Communism, right or wrong, seems archaic and old-fashioned. Socialism, especially with the significant qualifier, Democratic Socialism. is increasing in appeal. So what's a demagoguing right-winger to do?
So we hand them on a silver platter the phrase DEFUND THE POLICE.
To paraphrase from The Princess Bride: I do not think these words mean what you think they mean.
For those who say this in good faith, I can tell you that many are just wholly missing what you're trying to say. As an example, I'm a passionate person when it comes to issues I care about. I speak with force and volume and fire. I think my message is coming across, but people are really saying, "Wow! He is so loud and angry!" and the facts and substance of what I say is completely lost.
For those on the right, they hear this phrase and stop listening to anything else. They think you mean abolish the police and leave you defenseless if you have an emergency and need police intervention. The same group that wants to have a loaded firearm under the bed are the same people who want SWAT to descend on their house within 60 seconds and surround Uncle Gordo, who has entered your home unannounced and is trying to raid your refrigerator.
But there is nothing about abolishing the police in the stated goals of this movement. It's about prioritizing functions within a community to improve community safety. You CANNOT be safe if you defund all other priorities and only give increasing amounts to police whose primary goal is to keep declining neighborhoods under control. Why don't we instead improve the lives and living standards of ALL OUR NEIGHBORHOODS?
Reform the police? Yes. Who we pick as police, how we train them, what measures of force they can use - this is essential stuff.
But other stuff matters too - and will have a positive effect on the community; better schools, healthcare for all, UBI, first-class public transport, paying workers living wages, social workers, better policies around drug abuse and addiction, improving and equalizing the criminal justice system, addressing homelessness - all this and more will do more to improve public safety than all the threats and brute force in the world.
Because we spend too much on police instead of other priorities, we are asking the police to fill in the gap and do way too much. Even some police officials have argued that their role is too broad. They are expected to do things that would be better served by others. Even in a city as progressive as New York City, the funding of police exceed the funding of many other services combined.
Healthier, more broadly funded communities, are safer communities. I think we need to adjust our slogan, not to trick people (as many Republican slogans are designed to do) but to clarify what is really going on.
No one is trying to abolish the police. We are trying to reform and reallocate in such a way that makes communities safer. We need reforms and sanctions of the police that take the target off of minority communities. And we need to reallocate resources in such a way that makes ALL communities stronger and safer.
Many of our faiths compel us to believe that love is stronger than hate. But when it comes to how we act and feel in the public forum, many of us behave the opposite.
Brute force and trampling of human rights and dignity to maintain control is not the way forward, whether by faith or common sense.
SUPPORT COMMUNITY SAFETY
We will all be better off.
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