“strategically reallocating resources, funding, and responsibility away from police and toward community-based models of safety, support, and prevention.”
-MPD150-
So much of political discourse centers itself around semantics rather than the actual ideas it seeks to have implemented. I understand the importance of accurately portraying ideas, and no doubt semantics has its place and purpose, but it should not be to the detriment of progress.
I admit to having been hesitant about the use of the word “defund” when discussing necessary changes to policing, however thanks to my friends and organizations (like Ben and Jerry’s, whose use of ice cream scoops as a representation of reallocating the budget to other services is spot on) I’ve come to understand that this is a critical word to use when addressing the systemic issues we face as a society.
The old adage “put your money where your mouth is” holds true here. I’ll address reparations another time- but essentially, our government is pouring money into policing (whose brutality toward POC is racist and reactive), rather than investing in programs that have the most ability to impact positive social change in communities that have been oppressed by the institutions that should be working for them.
We need policies in place that are proactive and not reactive. We need to sink public dollars deeply into the roots of public services like housing, health care, and education; to lift up people who have been historically marginalized and subjected to all forms of injustice at the hands of a system that should be protecting and serving them. If we reallocate even a fraction of the budget that goes to policing into these sectors, then people begin to receive the long overdue compensation they deserve.
I’m grateful for the challenge of looking at my own opinion from another angle, and I bring this up here because a friend whose opinion I respect suggested that perhaps the use of the word “defund” be moderated in the conversation about policing so that Democrats will be more likely to support such changes to policy.
Typically, I’d have let it pass and agreed to disagree. But justice has been too long delayed to moderate this any longer. I think it’s essential in this case that we stick to DEFUND and let it be heard loud and clear that change doesn’t happen because of the words we speak, it happens when our government decides that it’s worth spending time and MONEY on crucial change to policies and programs that perpetuate racism and allow white supremacy to keep its foothold in society.
Our collective voices can start the waves rolling, but it takes sustained work to keep them growing. I don’t disagree with the concept of reform and restructuring; I think that it is necessary to consider in conjunction with defunding. It’s of great importance that we are making sure resources are appropriately allocated to social services like housing, education and health care with the overall goal of extinguishing systemic racism.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t also address that I have work to do myself. I’m no expert. I am digging in to learn more on this particular aspect of working for a racially just society, free of police brutality toward POC.
Specifically, police reform and restructuring seems like a more palatable call to action for most, and even amenable across party lines- but at what cost? How do we reallocate funding if we don’t defund? We need to do better, and better starts with keeping this conversation going.
The fact that “defund the police” is debatable at all shows its importance to the conversation around ending racist systems and ideas, but I come back again to not getting hung up with semantics.
We have to push through initial reactions of “right or wrong” and see that this is a multifaceted, deeply systemic issue that is not going to be solved tomorrow.
We have to be committed to the long haul, knowing that the exact change we want to see may not happen as swiftly as it should.
We have to keep having the tough conversations about how best to bring about change, and make sure that our governments (at all levels) are hearing them.
reflections (and other things) 