What does it really mean to 'Defund the Police' ?

Since 2013, #blacklivesmatter has been trying its best to change the world for the better. On twitter alone, the hashtag has been used roughly 48 million times since it started after the acquittal of Trayvon Martin's murderer. 

Now, another old hashtag is finally getting its spotlight in the mainstream media and being heard more and more often. This hashtag became more popular after the killings of George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks in May and June earlier this year, as well as the many other killings that could've been prevented if other workers, e.g. mental health specialists had dealt with the situation instead. This hashtag has nearly 400 thousand posts on Instagram and even more on several other social media sites. This hashtag is #defundthepolice. However, although many people are for it and pushing for it to happen, even more people seem to people disagree with the hashtag. Reasons for this could be a lack of information, misinformation being spread online and uneducated opinions. So, what does it really mean to #defundthepolice ?

Well, let's start with some statistics: 

In the United States.....

• It would cost around $20b to end homelessness for all
• It would cost around $25b to end national hunger 
• It would cost around $35b to ensure free college education for all citizens

yet....

• In 2017, state and local governments spent $115 billion on police alone
• Total police budgets range from over $100 million a year (Virginia Beach, Virginia) to a shocking $5 billion a year (New York City). 
• The U.S military has a budget of $718b ( or for some more effect $718,000,000,000!!)

See the issue? More money is being spent on the military and the police than the welfare of all American citizens. Need some more statistics?

Well:

• 1.7 million students are in schools with police officers yet no school counsellors 
• 3 million students are in school with police officers yet no school nurses
• Mental health related 911 calls are often responded to with the police yet at the same time 1/4 police shootings ending in deaths are mental health related 

To defund the police does not mean to get rid of them and their budget completely. What it does mean  is to cut their budget to a point where the police can still do their job sufficiently and use that excess money to be able to fund other important schemes and sectors, like healthcare, education, mental health, housing and several other social necessities. 

Now , here are a few examples in which mental health professionals could've been involved , meaning that the incident would not have had to end in a police officer shooting someone down :

Shukri Ali Said

On the 23rd April 2018, Shukri Ali Said was struggling and going through a mental health crisis when she decides to leave the house. Out of concern, her sister, Aisha Hussain, dialled 911 for help just as any worried family member may do. She believed she was making the right decision. Upon being found at a nearby intersection, police noticed Said had a knife in hand. They then shot her 5 times, leading to her death.

Saheed Vassel

Earlier in that same month, police would also take the life of Saheed Vassel. Vassel was a 34 year old father who also struggled with mental illness. He was well known around Brooklyn and his death was a shock to many. He was killed after someone called 911 claiming he was holding something looking like a gun, it turned out to be a pipe. A pipe that he carried around as a result of losing his job as a welder due to his mental state and therefore he wanted something to make him feel 'like he was still a man of his trade'.

Anthony Hill

3 years prior to both of these incidents, on the 9th March 2015, police took the life of Anthony Hill. He was a black veteran who was seen wandering around his apartment complex in Atlanta with no clothes on. Running towards Robert Olsen, and failing to stop, Hill was shot and killed. He was off his medication when this incident happened. Anthony needed help, not to be killed.

Osaze Osagi

Just over a year ago, on March 29th 2019, Osagi's father called the police on him to perform a simple wellness check on him as he has a long history of battling several mental illnesses and after moving out on his own, he sent concerning messages that suggested he could harm himself. Osaze had stopped attending support groups and stopped taking his medication. On the police officers' arrival, they claim Osagie had a knife that he wouldn't put down. They also claimed a taser had no impact on him and so they shot him right on the spot.

Deborah Danner

Deborah was a 66 year old black woman who was shot back in 2018 after a neighbour called the police on her for erratic behaviour. Upon arrival of the police officers, Deborah , who was fully nude, picked up scissors before dropping them and picking up a baseball bat. She had a long history of mental illnesses and again, she needed help, not to be killed,

These are just 5 of the many hundreds/thousands killed ( may they rest in peace ) who could still be alive if the situation was handled differently. Studies show that a shocking near 50% of people killed by police had registered disabilities in some way, shape or form. One study even states that people with untreated mental illnesses are an even more shocking 16 times more likely to be shot and killed by police.

So what can we do...

Defund The Police.

Some police states in the US have already started doing this. 

• New York, for example, will be cutting their funding and have set a reforms that would shift this funding to youth development and social services for communities of colour. 
• Los Angeles has also pledged to cut $150 million from the police department and use it to fund health care, jobs and peace centres. 
• San Francisco is reallocating $15 million dollars to other areas in social care

Well, how can we be sure that this will work?

We can use the statistics from areas with lower funding for officers and we can use patterns and trends from around the world. For example, if we come back home to the UK,  England and Wales have lost 20,000 officers in the last 10 years and with this number going down, the crime rate is also going down.

So, to summarise, defunding the police is not for getting rid of the police completely ,

 nor is it for making them too broke to do their jobs. Defunding the police allows for more aspects of social care to be cared for and to be funded enough to take care of our communities worldwide.

From what we now, the less police there are and the less funded they are ( so the more other areas are funded ) the less crime there is. 

But of course, defunding the police will not be an easy thing to accomplish. It could take ages to do, that is, even if it is done. It comes with its pro's for sure but also it's cons.

So that's enough from me,

thank you,

Princess