Democratic mayors are seriously considering DEFUNDING police departments amid persisting riots
06/07/2020 / By Arsenio Toledo
Members of the Democratic Party, Antifa and other rioters and demonstrators have begun calling for police departments across the country to be defunded, and some Democratic mayors have responded positively to these demands. In Minneapolis, where the riots began, the city council is even considering abolishing their police department altogether.
In response, members of the Republican Party have spoken out about their opposition to this move, with prominent members such as Congressman Jim Jordan and Senator Lindsey Graham criticizing the Democratic Party for even considering such a move.
“Any city or entity that abolishes their police department: What effect do you believe this will have on economic development, tourism and public safety?” asked Sen. Graham.
“First, Democrats wanted to defund ICE. Then, they wanted to defund DHS. Now, they want to defund the police. This is how radical today’s Left has become!” said Rep. Jim Jordan.
We should get clear on something. Without the police, without law enforcement, without the fine men & women in blue, the Constitution is just words on a page. Rights require protection. Democracy requires the rule of law.
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) June 4, 2020
Many groups aligned with either Antifa, the Democratic Party or both have for years advocated the defunding of police. The basic principle behind this is to take money away from police departments – and the prison-industrial complex – and to reinvest those funds into the community by prioritizing programs such as health, education, housing and employment, leaving them with fewer police officers to protect their communities.
Those in favor of defunding state that what the U.S. currently spends on its police departments – around $115 billion according to a recent analysis – is way too much. In many cities, what they spend on police department significantly outweighs what they spend on almost anything else.
Los Angeles, for example, spends over half of the city’s budget on the LAPD. Chicago spends nearly 40 percent of their budget, and both Atlanta and Orlando spend around 30 percent.
City police budgets have increased dramatically since the 1990s, especially after former Democratic President Bill Clinton signed a crime bill into law in 1994.
Listen to the Health Ranger Report by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, as he calls upon black Americans to know who their real enemy is: the medical system.
“Completely ridiculous”
In response to the calls from rioters and demonstrators, Joe Gamaldi, vice president of the Fraternal Order of Police, stated that defunding the police would do nothing but aid criminals and harm communities.
Gamaldi further stated that he feels those who call for defunding the police don’t know what that process would “actually look like.”
“And, I think you are seeing it now,” said Gamaldi. “There is lawlessness in the streets, innocent citizens are being assaulted out there during these protests.”
“And now, violent crime is up in almost every major city,” he added.
The Radical Left Democrats new theme is “Defund the Police”. Remember that when you don’t want Crime, especially against you and your family. This is where Sleepy Joe is being dragged by the socialists. I am the complete opposite, more money for Law Enforcement! #LAWANDORDER
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 4, 2020
Gamaldi is also the president of the Houston Police Officers Union. According to him, both murders and aggravated assaults have gone up, by 48 percent and 22 percent, respectively, and to slash the budget of police officers during these difficult times makes no sense. He further stated that the people in his community want more police officers, not fewer.
In response to the riots surrounding the death of George Floyd, Gamaldi said he feels sympathy and that America does need to have a conversation about racism and police brutality. Police departments, he said, must talk to their communities and listen to their grievances so they can see eye to eye on their issues. He further believes that some reforms do need to happen, but these reforms will not be successful unless “everyone was at the table together.” (Related: Gun sales skyrocket amid coronavirus pandemic AND engineered riots.)
Democratic Party-controlled cities cave in to rioters’ demands
Unfortunately for Gamaldi, some mayors from Democratic Party-controlled cities have already folded to the demands of the demonstrators.
On Wednesday, Democratic mayor of Los Angeles Eric Garcetti announced that, as part of a broad wave of spending cuts, the country’s second most populous city will be cutting their $3 billion police budget by up to five percent, or $150 million, with the goal of reinvesting that money in health, education, employment “and in healing.”
In New York City, Democratic Comptroller Scott Stringer is proposing that, as part of some much needed budget cuts (the city currently has a $9 billion budget deficit), the city can reduce the number of police officers and cut overtime. This, Stringer argues, could save the city over $1.1 billion in savings over four years.
And in San Francisco, Democratic Mayor London Breed said on Twitter that she was going to defund the city’s police department and invest that money in San Francisco’s black community.
Minneapolis considers ABOLISHING police department
In Minneapolis, where the nationwide wave of rioting and criminality began, city councilman Jeremiah Ellison, along with other members of the city council, have said that conversations are taking place to disband the MPD entirely. Councilman Ellison, whose father, Keith Ellison, is currently the Attorney General of Minnesota and is in charge of George Floyd’s case, has voiced his support for Antifa.
We are going to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department.
And when we’re done, we’re not simply gonna glue it back together.
We are going to dramatically rethink how we approach public safety and emergency response.
It’s really past due. https://t.co/7WIxUL6W79
— Jeremiah Ellison (@jeremiah4north) June 4, 2020
On Wednesday, another Minneapolis city councilman, Steve Fletcher, spoke to journalists, stating that the MPD were “ungovernable” and that the chief of police, Medaria Arradondo, Minneapolis’ first black chief of police, was not able to make the “cultural change” that the city was hoping for.
Councilman Ellison further stated on Twitter that it’s time for Minneapolis to “declare policing as we know it a thing of the past.”
Minneapolis Public Schools, the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board, as well as other city agencies have already decided to cut ties with the MPD. If Councilmen Ellison and Fletcher gather more support from the 11 other members of the city council – all but one of whom are also members of the Democratic Party – Minneapolis might just be the first city in the United States to abolish their police department, which might plunge the city into even more chaos in the future.
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Tagged Under:
anarchy, antifa, chaos, civil unrest, civil war, cops, defunding, Democratic Party, democrats, George Floyd, law enforcement, Minneapolis, Minneapolis Police Department, police, police funds, policing, protests, rebellion, rioting, riots, SHTF, uprising, violence
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