Defund The Police

Overview

Defund the Police refers to political calls to reinvest funds that would go to police departments to other social programs that may be more suited to handle certain situations, such as housing, mental health, sex crimes and more. However, while some call for complete divestment from police and the disbanding of departments due to police-related violence and failures to reform, others call for partial divestment. Usage of the phrase grew in the mid-to-late 2010s, reaching the mainstream during the George Floyd protests against police brutality and racism in May 2020.

Background

The origins of the phrase are unknown. One of the earliest known usage of the phrase as an answer to police brutality was published by Twitter ^[1] user @MNight75 on November 13th, 2011 (shown below). They write, "When police states get out of control, it becomes time to defund the police. Ballot measures to decrease funding of police, reject bonds &OT" (shown below).

In 2020, after nearly a decade of high-profile deaths of African Americans by police, including Michael Brown, Breonna Taylor, Tamir Rice, Eric Garner and George Floyd, "Defund the Police" became a popular demand among activists against police brutality.

CNN^[2] writes:

The concept's been a murmur for years, particularly following the protests against police brutality in Ferguson, Missouri, though it seemed improbable in 2014.

But it's becoming a shout. With the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor at the hands of police and nationwide protests demanding reform, Minneapolis officials announced their intent to defund and disband the city's police force altogether.

The concept does not mean removing all funds from the police, according to CNN. They continue:

Some supporters of divestment want to reallocate some, but not all, funds away from police departments to social services. Some want to strip all police funding and dissolve departments.

The concept exists on a spectrum, but both interpretations center on reimagining what public safety looks like, he said.

It also means dismantling the idea that police are "public stewards" meant to protect communities. Many Black Americans and other people of color don't feel protected by police, McHarris said.

Developments

Online Reaction

Following the death of George Floyd, "defund the police" became a topic of widespread discussion online. For example, on May 31st, 2020, U.S. representative Rashid Tlaib tweeted^[3], "Know that it's still both, but don't let the "who" overshadow the decades of structural racism that has created the system that allows police officer after police officer off the hook for murder. I just want us to dig deeper so that the #DefundPolice movement isn't brushed aside" (shown below).

That day, the Black Lives Matter Facebook ^[4] posted about defunding the police in a post entited "In defense of black life." The post received more than 4,400 reactions, 2,100 comments and 900 comments in less than two weeks (shown below, left).

As the protests continued into June, the idea of defunding the police became central to the conversation. For example, Instagram user @samsimagery published a series of explainations as to why they believe this is an adequate response. The post received more than 26,000 likes in less than one week (shown below, right).

On June 6th, Twitter user @SanaSaeed tweeted a video of Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey stating that he would not commit to defunding the police at a George Floyd Protest. They wrote, "Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey showed up today at the protests. He was asked if he would commit to abolishing/defunding the police. Incredible to witness crowd hold him directly accountable. Man did a literal walk of shame." The tweet received more than 5.6 million views, 26,000 likes and 11,000 retweets (shown below).

On June 7th, the Twitter^[5] account for The Appeal tweeted, "BREAKING: A veto-proof majority of Minneapolis City Council members will announce today their commitment to disbanding the city’s embattled police department following the killing of George Floyd." The tweet received more than 61,000 likes and 34,000 retweets in less than 24 hours (shown below).

On June 8th, U.S. President Donald Trump criticized the idea of defunding the police. He wrote,^[6] "This year has seen the lowest crime numbers in our Country’s recorded history, and now the Radical Left Democrats want to Defund and Abandon our Police. Sorry, I want LAW & ORDER!" The post received more than 185,000 likes and 48,000 retweets in less than 24 hours (shown below).

8 To Abolition

8 to Abolition is a police abolitionist campaign, which rose to prominence following the 2020 George Floyd Protests against police brutality and racism. A direct criticism to the 8 Can't Wait police reform campaign, 8 to Abolition offers an eight-point plan to removing police from society and replacing police departments with community-oriented solutions that aim to rehabilitate people, improve social systems and reduce police-related deaths to zero.

Search Interest

External References