Thread by @3_20Coalition

(THREAD)
Our statement, sent to State College Borough Council, ahead of tonight's vote on the 2021 budget:

Position Statement on Defunding the Police

In light of recent events, attack on intentions, threats to our being, the @3_20Coalition would like to clarify our position

... on the reallocation of police resources captured in our demand to “defund the police.” We reiterate our call to reduce the police budget by 2 million dollars and reallocate these funds to mental health service, public health services, housing for the unsheltered, and ...

support for people impacted disproportionately by the Covid-19 pandemic.

What we mean when we say “defund the police”
Defunding the police is simple: moving money away from institutions/activities that do not keep us safe and moving them into institutions and activities that do.

Like many large cities and towns, the State College Borough budgets over 35% of their general fund to the police.

Our stance is that this is a gross misallocation of funds that could instead bolster critical social services and programs that the people of State College rely on.

Allocation of the State College Municipal Budget :

We believe that a safe society is a society where each and every member is cared for and where we all have what we need to survive, thrive, and realize our full potential.
We believe that the resources of the local government

... should be distributed in a way that provides benefits and safety to all community members, with special attention to those that are most marginalized.

Our society’s current public safety measures and justice system do not include everyone because they were never meant to.

We acknowledge that the police budget takes up a disproportionate amount of the budget, comprising 38.3% of the General Fund. In addition, the police budget has been spared pandemic-related cuts occurring within other departments such as :

Trees and Parks ($200k), Refuse and Compost ($200k), and the Schlow Library ($3k).

We hold the Council accountable to the Resolution 1258 was passed unanimously on June 23, 2020 with the following clause :

“Whereas it has been demanded that State College reallocate funding away from the State College Police Department to programs that address the root causes of suffering and violence, and provide benefit to public well-being and safety, we pledge to discuss in our next budget cycle

... our distribution of funds across the police department, community programming, commitments supporting mental health and housing, and community rebuilding in the wake of COVID-19”

The above clause was a promise to meaningfully evaluate the SCPD budget ...

and propose structural changes in the allocation of funding. However, the borough’s budget proposal does not take any action on reallocating the budget away from the police. Furthermore, the Borough Council discussions did not seriously consider reallocating the police budget to

support mental health, housing and community rebuilding.

This is a clear abdication of duty and a slap in the face to marginalized people who have advocated for change in the interest of a better community.

In 2020 the SC Borough allocated 38.3% of the general fund to :

police, compared to 22.5% for public works, 6.5% for Regional Programs, and only 6.0% for planning and neighborhood services.

The $2 million reduction that @3_20Coalition is currently advocating for would be approximately 17% of the police budget, or ...

or 6.5% of the general fund - roughly what is currently spent on Regional Programs.

Police are not required for noise complaints, ordinance violations, mental health crises, traffic stops, or retail theft, which constitute the majority of the calls to which the SCPD respond.

Additionally, the Chief of Police and Borough Council have admitted that calls related to safety have not seen increased response times despite the decreased staff.

This manageable workload, and the fact that much of the work of the police can and should be shifted ...

to other social service entities, clearly suggests a need for budget reallocation.

Given these points, we recommend the reallocation of $2 million away from the police budget and towards mental health services, support for the unsheltered, and public health during the Covid-19,

whether for services within the borough, or through partnership with the Council of Governments or County services.

Defund the Police as a Policy Demand :

Our demand to reallocate police resources, or defund the police, is not a new idea and is not an empty slogan.

It is a policy direction supported by data that will enhance, not erode, the safety of our community. Many opponents to the reallocation of police resources fear that their safety will be in jeopardy.

It must first be stated that people of color, disabled people, ...

neurodivergent people, LGBTQ+ people, and many others are not safe currently because our systems of policing and justice were not designed to protect everyone.

The institution of policing evolved out of slave catching patrols, their utility in violent union-busting, ...

and criminalization and brutalization of LGBTQ people.

It is clear that policing in the US has advantaged white, able-bodied, and upper-class populations. The reallocation of police resources can create a safer and healthier community for everyone, and not just certain classes

or groups of people.

We cite the following:
Social services, not police are likely responsible for drops in crime
Increased funding in these areas is associated with drops in crime:
Public school and early childhood education
Affordable housing
Financial assistance

Harm reduction/public health approaches to addiction
Increased police funding has not been associated with decreased crime
Fewer police officers is not associated with decreased public safety or increased crime over the past decade

Response to violent crime is a tiny % of police activity
Victims of violent crime often do not report due to mistrust or fear
Greater police contact is associated with greater future criminality
Racial disparities in policing are well-documented

We demand a better and safer community for all that will ensure that no family has to experience the trauma and pain that has rocked our community since March of 2019.

#JusticeForOsaze

A budget is a moral document. We demand that the State College Borough’s 2021 Budget reflect a greater moral calling rather than a continuation of business as usual.

#DefundThePolice

Further Reading
Defunding the Police
blacklivesmatter.com/what-defunding…
aclu.org/.../defunding-…
brookings.edu/.../what-does-…
steinhardt.nyu.edu/.../why-social…...
rti.org/insights/defun…
libguides.scu.edu/c.php?g=104808…
theconversation.com/defunding-the-…...
forbes.com/.../at-least-1…...

Policing and Health Issues
apha.org/.../2019/01/29…
oaklandpowerprojects.org/healthcare
Carceral Abolition
criticalresistance.org
byp100.org
Alternatives to Policing
whitebirdclinic.org/cahoots/
antipoliceterrorproject.org/mh-first-oakla…
generationfive.org
drugpolicy.org/issues/drug-de…

Policing alts, cont.
nytimes.com/.../george-flo…
Era of Mass Incarceration
Alexander, M. (2020). The new Jim Crow: Mass incarceration in the age of colorblindness. The New Press.
Balko, R. (2013). Rise of the warrior cop: The militarization of America's police forces. PublicAffairs

...
Hinton, E. (2016). From the war on poverty to the war on crime: The making of mass incarceration in America. Harvard University Press.
Kilgore, J. W. (2015). Understanding mass incarceration: A people's guide to the key civil rights struggle of our time. The New Press.

Sources Cited Links in “Defund the Police as a Policy Demand” (in order)
journals.sagepub.com/.../10.1177/00…
eml.berkeley.edu/~moretti/lm46.…
opportunityinstitute.org/.../ELCLinkCri…...
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cf…
law.yale.edu/.../Intellec..…
users.cla.umn.edu/~uggen/Uggen_S…
washingtonpost.com/.../over-past-…
usatoday.com/.../marshall-p…

Sources cited, cont.
nytimes.com/.../unrest-pol…...
statista.com/.../usa--perce…
journals.sagepub.com/.../10.1177/00…
pnas.org/content/116/17…
utpjournals.press/doi/abs/10.313…
abolitionistlawcenter.org/.../apartheid.…...
nature.com/articles/s4156…
pnas.org/content/116/34…