Police: Redirect funds to community needs

The idea of defunding police is gaining traction as no tinkering with the current system has resulted in less police violence against people of color.

These substantial funds could be redirected to addressing homelessness, mental health, victim advocacy, food insecurity, joblessness, domestic violence, health care and community education for crime prevention – in short, for helping people and improving community welfare, which police are ill equipped to do.

Knowledge-based assistance from compassionate advocates and first responders in every community could help resolve problems and quell despair.

While many people experience these problems some time in life, certain groups experience them pervasively, based on historical policies of systemic advantage based on race, gender, class, disability, sexual orientation, etc.

Police are used to maintaining these systems of oppression, becoming especially violent against those who protest.

Professions have not proven successful at monitoring themselves – whether doctors, psychologists, professors.

Independent investigations of police violence by an entity far removed from police influence is necessary. Law enforcers should not be above the law.

Further, any officer who expresses or posts prejudicial sentiments or fraternizes with a supremacist group should not be retained.

This story was originally published June 16, 2020 at 8:44 AM with the headline "Police: Redirect funds to community needs."