Nearly all major American cities are seeing spikes in violent crime.
Rosa Brooks, an associate dean at Georgetown Law, believes: “The ‘defunding the police,’ I think was not a helpful slogan, and I think that the shift to slogans like ‘re-imagining public safety’ is a much more constructive one, and is likely to lead to much better discussions and less likely to just push people away from the start” and pit community and service providers against the police.
There is ongoing debate about the concept of “defunding the police,” with some arguing that it is not a good idea. Critics of the idea argue that defunding the police could lead to an increase in crime and violence, as well as a lack of resources to handle emergency situations and keep communities safe. They argue that police departments have a necessary role to play in maintaining public safety, and that cutting funding for police departments could lead to inadequate resources and personnel to handle emergency situations.
Additionally, some argue that defunding the police could disproportionately impact marginalized communities, who may rely more heavily on police services for protection. They argue that instead of defunding the police, efforts should be focused on improving police training, increasing accountability, and addressing systemic issues within law enforcement.
On the other hand, proponents of the idea argue that in order to make meaningful change in the criminal justice system, funding needs to be shifted from traditional policing to other programs and services that can address the underlying issues that lead to crime and social issues. This can help to reduce the need for policing, improve public safety and ensure that all community members have access to the resources they need to thrive.
It’s important to note that defunding the police does not mean the complete elimination of policing, but rather a reallocation of resources to other programs and services that can address the root causes of crime and social issues. The specific approach and the extent of reallocation of resources may vary depending on the context and the specific needs of the community. The lessons from the South show that the experiments of moving resources away from policing are not encouraging at all.
CNN
