Police: Defunding departments will be disastrous

The drive to defund police departments has been unwise, unjust and very counterproductive.

It has been a particular disaster for the Black Lives Matter movement. Why?

First, fewer police means fewer protectors of innocent Black citizens. Indeed, according to the front page Portland article by the Associated Press (TNT, 8/10, “The city experienced a sharp rise in the gun violence that has overwhelmingly hurt Black people.” A grieving mother said, “This is the carnage that is left in the community.”

Second, fewer police means fewer buffers between young Black males. In fact, according to research based upon recent studies by the University of Michigan and the US Centers for Disease Control, a young Black male is far more likely to be killed by a peer than a police officer.

Communities that defund police departments will have to refund them — before even more Blacks suffer in the meantime.

This story was originally published August 25, 2020 at 10:22 AM with the headline "Police: Defunding departments will be disastrous."