As an abolitionist organizer working to end policing, incarceration, and surveillance and to create lasting alternatives, I know that “defund the police” is not just a slogan—or even the end goal.
Here's everything you need to know + understand👇
[2/11]
rewire.news/article/2020/0…
Here's everything you need to know + understand👇
[2/11]
rewire.news/article/2020/0…
In 2019 alone, police were responsible for nearly 1,100 civilian deaths!
Recent coverage of the police killings of #BreonnaTaylor and #GeorgeFloyd have reinvigorated a preexisting movement to affirm the value of Black lives.
bit.ly/2Ypc7ed
[3/11]
Recent coverage of the police killings of #BreonnaTaylor and #GeorgeFloyd have reinvigorated a preexisting movement to affirm the value of Black lives.
bit.ly/2Ypc7ed
[3/11]
.@BlackVisionsMN, an organization dedicated to Black liberation and healing justice, and @MPD_150, local abolitionist organizers, are already making progress in their state, with the Minnesota City Council announcing their plans to defund the police THIS WEEK.
[4/11]
[4/11]
We are organizing for a world without policing, not an improved version of policing. We believe in creating community-based solutions to harm that recognize people’s humanity and dignity, while taking into account all of the reasons someone may commit a “crime.”
[5/11]
[5/11]
Q: So, how are the police funded? 🤔
A: Each fiscal year, federal, state, and local governments allocate a LARGE chunk of their funds towards policing. In many cities, the budget for policing is a LOT larger than meaningful public services like education or housing.
[6/11]
A: Each fiscal year, federal, state, and local governments allocate a LARGE chunk of their funds towards policing. In many cities, the budget for policing is a LOT larger than meaningful public services like education or housing.
[6/11]
For example, Mayor Bill DeBlasio cut the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP), a program that would have supported and empowered nearly 75,000 youth, but set the NYPD budget to $5.64 billion for next year.
Let that sink in...
[7/11]
Let that sink in...
[7/11]
Support for the police knows no political party, as Dems and the GOP are both typically against lowering police budgets since both have distorted views of crime + safety.
Police budgets are subjective and reflect the government’s priorities: caging Black/brown people.
[8/11]
Police budgets are subjective and reflect the government’s priorities: caging Black/brown people.
[8/11]
Q: So, what does it look like to defund the police?
A: Politicians would shrink police budgets within a certain time frame until the police department has a budget of ZERO. Police officers would no longer be given pensions, and forces would not hire new people.
[9/11]
A: Politicians would shrink police budgets within a certain time frame until the police department has a budget of ZERO. Police officers would no longer be given pensions, and forces would not hire new people.
[9/11]
Q: Where do we want that 💰 to go?
A: Public goods like health care, education, and housing—that help communities thrive. The hope is that these investments will improve life for community members, and lessen their interactions with the oppressive arms of the state.
[10/11]
A: Public goods like health care, education, and housing—that help communities thrive. The hope is that these investments will improve life for community members, and lessen their interactions with the oppressive arms of the state.
[10/11]
While there isn’t one single answer for where abolitionists want police budgets to go, we are certain that defunding the police is the FIRST step.
[11/11]
rewire.news/article/2020/0…
[11/11]
rewire.news/article/2020/0…
