Great Idea. Lousy Slogan.

 

"Defund the police” means reallocating or redirecting funding away from the police department to other government agencies funded by the local municipality. That’s it. It’s that simple. Defund does not mean abolish policing."

~Wikiquotes ~

 

I was a career firefighter for over 23 years. I can tell you, first-hand and unequivocally, there is now, and always will be, a need for some level of law enforcement. I can't tell you the number of times I was in situations as a first responder where the need for a brother or sister with training in enforcement was both needed and welcomed. Firefighters and cops are brothers and sisters....... two arms of the same body in the truest sense.

Now, I'll also tell you there were cops I encountered (firefighters, too) who had no business wearing the badge. There are those in every profession who lack the control, compassion, training, brains, or whatever to do the job at hand. But in my opinion, cops (and probably teachers) have it the hardest of all. It's easy to arm-chair quarterback something you see on the news without a clue what happened in real time. Split-second decisions are knee-jerk and based largely on training and muscle memory. And you cannot possibly stand there and criticize those kinds of decisions unless you've been there. I have.

And that, my friends, brings me to the entire "Defund the Police" movement. If you look past the title, you couldn't help but agree this is a great idea. We'll get to that in a moment. But for the love of all things holy, in a time of civil unrest, where all most of us want to do is just move forward in unity, why on earth would you settle on a title that breeds division? Why? Unless you're targeting people who look beyond a title, you'd have to know a movement with this type of heading would bring a violent reaction. It makes me question your motives.

So, let's take a look at where this is intended to go at its core. "Defund the Police" would be more clearly defined as, "Let's Divert Some Police Funding to Areas of Our Communities That Need It Most." And to be clear, it need not come from just police budgets. 

At its very core, this movement simply addresses the need to be fiscally responsible in all areas of government. It is statistically significant to note that communities with higher levels of public involvement have lower crime rates. That, dear friends, is why you get fewer patrols in some areas than others. You can twist this to suggest minority communities have higher crime rates, and that's true. But why? Look deeper. Minority communities tend to have fewer opportunities and resources compared to some others. There are a thousand reasons, including historical racism, that could explain why that is, but instead of having that debate, let's play the "What If" Game.

What if, instead of a million-dollar grant to improve riot gear, you spent that money on a community center? What if you sent 100 minority kids to college or trade school?  What if you funded summer reading programs, housing development and/or cleanup? What if you invested in communities with the highest crime rates instead of spending the money to protect yourselves more against them? Spend it on education. Spend it on community outreach. Spend it on things that bring a community in need into the collective fold. 

Has this been tried before? Sure it has. At least it's been given a haphazard try without full community support. And when it doesn't work in the span of some unrealistic time-frame, we throw up our hands and scream from the rooftops that it didn't work. But it can.

We live in a time of the desire for instant stimulation and results. Defunding the police isn't an overnight solution. It will take years. It will take generations of people coming to a new understanding of what policing should be all about. But truly, wouldn't you prefer it that way? Wouldn't you rather live in a world where police weren't necessary? None of us reading this will likely live long enough to see that come to fruition, but can't we start walking that direction? In the name of those coming after us, can't we try to improve lives for everyone?

Look, and I speak from experience, I want our police to be well-trained, and most of all, safe. They have a thankless, dangerous job, and they deserve our support. But what they deserve even more than that, is for people to invest in their communities and behave in such a way police services aren't needed.......at least not as much.

Be safe, brothers and sisters. We're going to try to make it better for you.

Namaste 

***Authors Note: I fully realize that some of the topics I touched on in this little blurb are far more complex and multi-layered than I can cover in a small space. And I most certainly do not have all the answers. And before we even begin the political backlash, I also fully realize there are a handful on the left who would suggest police be fully defunded. But that's certainly not the majority of those who would support this concept. (And by the way, most of us on the left don't want your guns either. Keep em). If local, state, and federal government can't funnel funds to communities, how about some of the rich corporations? Hell, how about some of the smaller companies? Invest in where you live. And can we please revisit the whole notion of privately owned prisons? I can't help you if you don't see an issue with that concept.***