Global InformationDefund the police information
In the United States, "defund the police" is a slogan that supports removing funds from police departments and reallocating them to non-policing forms of public safety and community support, such as social services, youth services, housing, education, healthcare and other community resources. Activists who use the phrase may do so with varying intentions; some seek modest reductions, while others argue for full divestment as a step toward the abolition of contemporary police services. Activists who support the defunding of police departments often argue that investing in community programs could provide a better crime deterrent for communities; funds would go toward addressing social issues, like poverty, homelessness, and mental disorders.[1][2] Police abolitionists call for replacing existing police forces with other systems of public safety, like housing, employment, community health, education, and other programs.[3][4][5]
The "defund the police" slogan became common during the George Floyd protests starting in May 2020.[6] According to Jenna Wortham and Matthew Yglesias, the slogan was popularized by the Black Visions Collective shortly after the murder of George Floyd.[7][8]
Black Lives Matter (BLM), the Movement for Black Lives, and other activists have used the phrase to call for police budget reductions and to delegate certain police responsibilities to other organizations.[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] In Black Reconstruction in America, first published in 1935, W. E. B. Du Bois wrote about "abolition-democracy", which advocated for the removal of institutions that were rooted in racist and repressive practices, including prisons, convict leasing, and white police forces. In the 1960s, activists such as Angela Davis advocated for the defunding or abolition of police departments.[17] The 2017 book The End of Policing by Alex S. Vitale has been called "a manual of sorts for the defund movement".[18]
Many sociologists, criminologists, and journalists have criticized aspects of the police defunding movement.[19][20][21][22] In the United States, despite support for defunding being largely associated with left-wing, Democratic Party policies,[23][24][25] politicians from both the Democratic and Republican parties have spoken against defunding, although Republicans have sought to link Democrats to the movement in congressional races.[26] Among the general public in the United States, the concept of defunding the police is unpopular.[27][28][26] According to a 2024 study, there is no evidence of police defunding in major US cities in the aftermath of the 2020 BLM protests while cities with large Republican vote shares tended to increase police budgets in the aftermath of the protests.[29]
According to the New York Times, the slogan and movement failed to result in any meaningful policy change. This was attributed to the slogan having no clear definition of its goals. It also was concluded that the slogan "defund-the-police" was wildly unpopular and was used to successfully portray activists as soft-on-crime. A May 2021 poll found that just 18% of the population supported the slogan with 58% opposing.[30]
- ^ "What does 'defund the police' mean? The rallying cry sweeping the US – explained". The Guardian. June 6, 2020. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
- ^ Arnold, Amanda (June 12, 2020). "What Exactly Does It Mean to Defund the Police?". The Cut. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
- ^ McDowell, Meghan G.; Fernandez, Luis A. (July 20, 2018). "'Disband, Disempower, and Disarm': Amplifying the Theory and Practice of Police Abolition". Critical Criminology. 26 (3): 373–391. doi:10.1007/s10612-018-9400-4. S2CID 149624069.
- ^ Kaba, Mariame; Duda, John (November 9, 2017). "Towards the horizon of abolition: A conversation with Mariame Kaba". The Next System Project.
- ^ Briond, Joshua (June 6, 2020). "Understanding the Role of Police Towards Abolitionism: On Black Death as an American Necessity, Abolition, Non-Violence, and Whiteness". Hampton Institute.
- ^ BALSAMO, MICHAEL (June 7, 2020). "When protesters demand 'defund the police' at George Floyd demonstrations, what does it mean?". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
- ^ Wortham, Jenna (August 25, 2020). "How a New Wave of Black Activists Changed the Conversation". The New York Times Magazine.
- ^ "Fixing the police will take more funding, not less". Slow Boring. January 25, 2021.
- ^ Balsamo, Mike (June 7, 2020). "Black Lives Matter's big ask: what does 'defund the police' mean?". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
- ^ Lowrey, Annie (June 5, 2020). "Defund the Police". The Atlantic. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
- ^ Villa, Lissandra (June 7, 2020). "Why Protesters Want to Defund Police Departments". Time.
- ^ "#DefundThePolice". Black Lives Matter. May 30, 2020.
- ^ Schuster, Hannah (June 7, 2020). "Activists Added 'Defund The Police' To The New Black Lives Matter Mural. So Far, D.C. Officials Have Let It Stay". dcist.com. Archived from the original on June 9, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
- ^ Yglesias, Matthew (June 3, 2020). "Growing calls to 'defund the police,' explained". Vox. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
- ^ Hatzipanagos, Rachel. "Analysis | What 'defund the police' might look like". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
- ^ "What does 'defund the police' actually mean?". Today. June 9, 2020. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
- ^ Bakare, Lanre (June 15, 2020). "Angela Davis: 'We knew the role of the police was to protect white supremacy'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
- ^ "The Deep Roots—and New Offshoots—of 'Abolish the Police'". Politico. June 12, 2020. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
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voxwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Jr, Perry Bacon (March 16, 2021). "The Ideas That Are Reshaping The Democratic Party And America". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
- ^ "Battleground Democrats embrace law enforcement 2 years after "Defund the Police"". www.cbsnews.com. August 26, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
- ^ "How Democrats went from defund to refund the police". NBC News. February 6, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
- ^ a b Saletan, William (November 19, 2020). ""Defund the Police" Is a Self-Destructive Slogan". Slate Magazine. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:4was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Rakich, Nathaniel (June 19, 2020). "How Americans Feel About 'Defunding The Police'". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
- ^ Ebbinghaus, Mathis; Bailey, Nathan; Rubel, Jacob (2024). "The Effect of the 2020 Black Lives Matter Protests on Police Budgets: How "Defund the Police" Sparked Political Backlash". Social Problems. doi:10.1093/socpro/spae004. ISSN 0037-7791.
- ^ Ernesto Londoño (June 16, 2023). "How 'Defund the Police' Failed ". The New York Times.