Proposal: Defunding the Police
Introduction
Briefly, I propose to enact changes in the approach to law enforcement in the State of California by defunding the police and using these monies on other institutions of community improvement in California. On May 25, 2020, a video emerged on social media platforms depicting Minneapolis’s police officers kneeling on George Floyd, a restrained African American man for approximately eight minutes. George Floyd had allegedly used a counterfeit 20-dollar bill, which triggered a reaction from police officers. In the video, George Floyd could be heard saying, “I can’t breathe” repeatedly until he passed out unconscious (Oppell Jr. & Barker, 2020). George Floyd later died because of cardiopulmonary arrest caused by the subdual and restraint, according to the medical examiner. The police reaction to a man’s passing of a twenty-dollar led to the death of a man. The reaction was overhanded cost a man’s life. However, police overhanded approach, especially to a racial minority, is not a novel phenomenon. American history is choke-full of cases where police exercised brutality against citizens in the name of law enforcement, sometimes leading to fatalities. Names such as Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner, Rodney King, Ryan Tawman, Trayvon Martin, and many others are a haunting reminder of law enforcement’s ills in its current constitution in the United States. Additionally, the USA has the largest number of incarcerated people. A significant majority of them of minority races attest to the racist nature of law enforcement and is also evidence of a fundamental flaw in American society and civil system’s approach to law enforcement.
Problem
This proposal seeks to address the overfunding of the police at the expense of other government agencies funded by municipalities that can help reduce crime. According to the Urban Institute, the State of California spent a staggering “$115 billion on police” (Urban Institute, 2020). While the police play a crucial role in addressing crime, they are not the only institution that plays a role in reducing crime. Furthermore, “modern police forces have directed oppression and violence at Black people to enforce Jim Crow, wage the War on Drugs, and crackdown on protests” (Fernandez, 2020). Social services such as schools, mental health services, employment services, and other community-based services play a crucial role in reducing crime (Jones, 2020). Studies have shown that the police are not as successful in solving crimes as it may appear. Statistics show that every year “Approximately 38% of murders, 66% of rapes, 70% of robberies, and 47% of aggravated assaults go uncleared every year” (Ray, 2020). These statistics reveal that the police force is not effective in stopping or solving crime as many like to believe. According to Frank B. Wilderson, 2020, the police force is anchored on slavery, and hence it dehumanizes African Americans. Most of the spending is used for programs such as broken windows policing and stop and frisk policing. Police have to attend to every little disruption in society. This is a waste of resources because studies have shown that ninety percent of 911 call-ins are non-violent contacts. This is not to say that the police should not react; rather, there is evidence that police involvement sometimes escalates the situation, as seen in the George Floyd case. Additionally, policies such as broken windows policing and stop and frisk rarely lead to any criminal arrests, but rather allow racist elements in the force to criminalize racial minorities. The problem is that the money is being wasted on frivolous and mostly fruitless police operations instead of programs and community building movements to improve and harmonize society’s interactions, hence reducing crime. By defunding the police and redirecting the money to other government agencies that can improve societal interactions and Californian communities, crime will reduce. The racist machinations operating within law enforcement, which endanger Californians, will be curtailed.
Objectives
The current structure and ethos of law enforcement are deeply flawed. Racism has been institutionalized in law enforcement. Because of this racist nature, incidences such as George Floyd’s blatant and unnecessary murder at the hands of a police officer can be seen in this day and age. The police “police, along with their unions, have become too large, powerful and militaristic” (Kelly, 2020). One of the reasons that perpetuate such racist incidences is the wrong approach to crime reduction in California and the United States. There is an overemphasis on police and correctional facilities as the only institutions that can reduce crime. Defunding the police and redirecting the revenue to other public safety and other community services is essential in reducing police brutality and mass incarceration in California. Additionally, defunding the police will make communities safer and better integrated, and this will have a myriad of advantages to California
‘s people.
This proposal aims not to kneecap law enforcement, but rather to empower other institutions that can improve public safety, improve literacy, health, and foster community integration. In so doing, the police force will have less of a workload. The approach to handling crime will not be reactionary but rather proactive with a myriad of benefits to California as a society. The communal approach to reducing crime will also reduce instances of police brutality and police killings of racial minorities in the State. By reducing the contact between people and the police, this project will, to an extent, separate the racist machinations of the police force from communities and hence protect people from racist law enforcement officers.
This project’s other objective is to heal the race and class tensions that have arisen because of incidences of police brutality. When white police officers brutalize or kill African Americans and other racial minorities, it hurts the racial camaraderie and integration in the State (Chang, 2020). Such incidences fuel racial tensions which harm the State and the entire nation’s social fabric and economy. From the Rodney King incident in 1992 to George Floyd’s murder 28 years later, incidences of police brutality and killing have been met with racial unrest. While this unrest has been important in addressing some of the challenges in law enforcement and other biases in society, the time is nigh for California to take radical steps in dealing with how it handles crime.
The project will benefit Californians and, indeed, Americans at large. In particular, Californians who belong to minority races will be protected from racist police that criminalize skin color. The project will enrich communities by providing them with social programs and community services such as health services, education, public and safety initiatives that will reduce criminal activities and improve individual members of the community. The project will also help police officers, who are overburdened with work as they seek to execute policies that send them on fruitless errands. The project will reduce their workload, and help them have a healthy work-life balance that will allow them to perform their duty judiciously.
Solution
Here is the plan I intend to produce and the and all the features necessary for success. To resolve the imbalance in the distribution of revenue to make California an overall better society, the Californian government should revise its budget allocations to the various government institutions. However, defunding the police without instituting effective community-based programs to address crime in the State could have adverse ramifications on the State. Therefore, for the solution to be effective, there needs to be consultations and collaborations between the various institutions and communities in the State.
To revise the budget, local municipalities will have to be involved in the decision-making process. After all, a blanket approach to defunding the police force given California’s diversity could have adverse ramifications on the plan. According to Ben Struhl, the Executive Director of the Center on Crime and Community Resilience at North Eastern, an ideal system of defunding the police begins with community participation. Research reveals that “a small number of people are driving a large part of the violence in their cities overall” (Struhl, 2020). Most of these people operate in communities dominated by racial minorities that have been historically neglected by the government. By involving these communities and finding out what they need to improve their communities, the effective distribution of revenue will be achieved.
The solution to this problem will involve taking some money away from the revenue assigned to the police force and investing it in other government institutions that can improve community safety. These institutions include schools, healthcare, community watches, employment, and rehabilitation centers. By equipping these institutions, the communities will be enriched, and these institutions also intervene on behalf of individuals at risk of joining criminal activities.
Method
Implementation of the project is a procedural process. The first step is to identify the unique challenges facing California as a state. This investigative process will involve identifying what the people think about crime, police role, and the role of community-oriented programs in preventing crime. These communities will be based in several cities and the diverse communities within the various cities. Individuals from these communities will be interviewed on their opinions on the nature of crime and law enforcement’s role in preventing and reducing crime in these areas. A questionnaire will be used to ensure fairness in collecting the opinions of these people from different communities. The questionnaire will gauge what people think of recent incidences of police brutality and the implications of these incidences on law enforcement in California. The questionnaire will also be used to inquire about the necessity of some policing policies such as stop and frisk and the broken windows policy. The questionnaire will also seek to investigate what people think are the causes of crime within their community. Lastly, the questionnaire will ask the respondents their opinions on what community-based initiatives and institutions can curb crime in their respective neighborhoods. The questionnaires will be analyzed, and the results are used to inform the distribution of revenue.
Additionally, experts on education, mental health, community watches, police officers, and other stakeholders who have expertise on the various social dynamics will be asked to provide recommendations on the way forward on matters involving the institutions that need funding to alleviate crime in a long time in communities. Insight from these society members will be instructive on the formula that the State government and municipalities use to implement the budgetary changes regarding the police and other social institutions.
The questionnaires will be analyzed. The data obtained will be used to inform the division of the budget between law enforcement forces and social initiatives that can make positive changes in community safety by policing driven by racist ideology. From these vast conversations and correspondence, the state government and municipalities will come up with an equitable and effective formula to distribute the revenue.
Schedule
While the need to defund the police and support other social institutions that aim to enhance community is urgent, the process has to be procedural and certain. The police system has been around for a long time, and a sudden restructuring could have adverse ramifications on the State of California. Therefore, replacing the old system with this new and better, and system will have to be gradual and decisive. Ideally, the defunding will be conducted in phases. The first phase will be to defund the police to fund social workers who are experts in mental health to accompany police officers on patrols. This will help in dealing with cases involving patients with mental health. This method has been adopted and been successful in cities such as Dallas through programs such as RIGHT Care (Schuppe, 2020). Implementing such a program with certain tweaks to address diversity and other social nuances can be implemented in six months.
Afterward, the state government and municipalities will gradually reduce funding for police and improve funding for other community well-being institutions. This process could belong, and span several years. What is important is that the implementation of this process is effective. The project’s execution will take about two years, but its effects will be seen in an indefinite number of years.
Qualifications
As a California resident, I have observed the issues surrounding law enforcement and how they relate to racism in the State. Therefore, I have an understanding of the issues of the State and the nature of law enforcement. My qualifications as a resident have also given me an understanding of the communities around Los Angeles. As a college student, I have interacted deeply with the issues raised after the murder of George Floyd and the solutions suggested by experts in the field. Therefore, I am qualified to propose this project for your consideration.
Management
The project management will be under the watch of various stakeholders of the State and municipalities within the State. These will include the governor of the State, Governor Gavin Newsom, the leaders of municipalities, and other stakeholders in the State. Community leaders and citizens will have to be involved in reporting the project’s progress and recommending the appropriate changes to the issues.
COSTS
The costs of the process will not strain the State revenue. The project is anchored on balancing scales of the State revenue. Essentially, the project is aimed at redirecting funds from the police funds to other community development programs in the State. The cost remains essentially the same, but its use becomes more effective in ensuring safety in communities and reducing police brutality.
Questionnaire
- What is the municipality in your neighborhood?
- On a scale of 1-5, rate the security in your neighborhood?
- On a scale of 1-5, how important is the police force in reducing crime in your neighborhood?
- What is the main societal deficiency lacking that promotes crime in your society?
- Do you believe the murder of George Floyd was racially motivated?
- On a scale of 1-5, do you believe in the community has a role in reducing crime?
References
Chang, A. (2020, June 5). LA’s history of racial tensions and police brutality, revisited. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2020/06/05/871083491/las-history-of-racial-tensions-and-police-brutality-revisited
Fernandez, P. (2020). ACLU news & commentary. Retrieved from https://www.aclu.org/news/criminal-law-reform/defunding-the-police-will-actually-make-us-safer/
Kelly, J. (2020, June 9). The movement to Defund or disband police: Here’s what you need to know now. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2020/06/09/the-movement-to-defund-or-disband-police-heres-what-you-need-to-know-now/#7b476a057f1a
Oppel Jr., R., & Barker, K. (2020, July 8). New transcripts detail last moments for George Floyd. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/08/us/george-floyd-body-camera-transcripts.html
Patterson, B. (2020, June 16). Here’s what it could look like to Defund the police. Retrieved from https://alumni.berkeley.edu/california-magazine/just-in/2020-06-16/call-defund-police-has-gone-national-here-s-what-means
Ray, R. (2020, June 18). What does ‘defund the police’ mean and does it have merit? Retrieved from https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2020/06/19/what-does-defund-the-police-mean-and-does-it-have-merit/
Schuppe, J. (2020, June 10). What would it mean to ‘defund the police’? These cities offer ideas. Retrieved from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/what-would-it-mean-defund-police-these-cities-offer-ideas-n1229266
Thomsen, I. (2020, July 8). What would it mean to ‘defund’ the police–and what would come next? Retrieved from https://news.northeastern.edu/2020/07/08/what-would-it-mean-to-defund-the-police-and-what-would-come-next/
Urban Institute. (2020, June 10). Police and corrections expenditures. Retrieved from https://www.urban.org/policy-centers/cross-center-initiatives/state-and-local-finance-initiative/state-and-local-backgrounders/police-and-corrections-expenditures
Wilderson, F. B. (2018). “We’re Trying to Destroy the World”: Anti-Blackness and Police Violence After Ferguson. In Shifting Corporealities in Contemporary Performance (pp. 45-59). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.