What Life Is Like Without Police
This year, the phrase “defund the police” became a rallying cry. Activist progressives capitalized on public outrage over the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis and racked up substantial wins. Liberal politicians in cities across America — from New York to Los Angeles — imposed deep budget cuts on their police departments, called defunding. The phrase “defund the police” can mean very different things depending on which activist progressive you talk to. But this much is certain: Police departments will not be able to do the important job of protecting law-abiding Americans if this movement continues to gain ground.
Minneapolis went further than anywhere else by voting to disband its police department altogether.
The city established a commission to study the issue and propose an alternative. However, a spike in crime in Minneapolis after the initial riots is likely to ensure the police department’s continued existence, albeit in a diminished form. “The police department in Minneapolis will probably remain the same, but they will rename it something like ‘crisis and public safety advocates’ and hire more mental health professionals,” says Nick Bieter, a lifelong resident of Minnesota, “I’m not sure there is long-term stomach to get rid of the police in any substantive way.”
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