Defunding the police and what it really means
Are the cops really there to protect my community?
It is a beautiful day in Almaden valley — a suburban community in the vicinity of the city of San Jose, CA. An affluent, upper-middle-class neighborhood with a fairly diverse population of people working in the technology sector, yet not many people from the African American population live here. However, on June 13, 2020, this peaceful community resonated with slogans from protestors….
“One race, human race”
“Black lives matter”
“Racism is the pandemic”
“No one is free until we are all free”
“Together we are stronger’
“Silence is violence”
“No justice, no peace”
I joined this protest in my neighborhood, not only because I was shocked and horrified by George Floyd’s death. I decided to participate because I had finally educated myself on the history of policing in my country and the world. And, I could no longer condone the systemic racism that seems to have permeated our society. This was a wake-up call for many of us to do something — anything — to right the wrongs that have been persistently overlooked in the interests of maintaining a status quo.
When the protests first started in Minnesota, I never thought that anyone in this sleepy community of Almaden would even care. I thought that after a few days of rioting and looting, people would probably forget why it all started. On their own, this community would never have thought that #blacklivesmatter would impact them, let alone march on the streets to show their support for it. Of course, there are political divisions and nuanced beliefs within this community, yet that day I was proud and energized to see 175 people from all ages showed up for the protest. Kids as young as 8 and folks as old as 70, along with a few furry friends joined the march. According to the organizer, “folks from as far as Fremont and LA had come to support the protest against racism and not one person dropped off at any point during the five-mile roundtrip, despite physical adversities. A few bystanders even joined the protest and the majority of traffic (cars, bicyclists, walkers) showed signs of support.” We did face some opposition and there were a few folks who shouted obscenities and held up white power symbols. But the point of the protest was to show solidarity and educate our neighbors by providing a glimpse of the real faces that felt impacted. In many ways, the protest was an affirmation of our common humanity — that we had not forgotten our values and principles.
This show of strength to support the Black Lives Matter movement has become a pivotal moment in history to inspire reform. As part of Gen Z, we must realize that the racial injustices highlighted by recent events are not just a “Black” problem or a “poverty” problem. Silence is betrayal. It is a betrayal to the color of our skin, our community, and our heritage. It is a question of time until we are targeted by the system and the institutionalized racism prevalent in this country. If today we cannot bring ourselves to show support for people who are attacked, victimized, and killed, who will show support for us when we face similar attacks. By letting the oppressors get away with racism, we are fundamentally giving away our right to be equal citizens. When we do not oppose racism, we are telling racists that it is okay to continue doing what they are doing.
Cynicism often makes people wonder. Why are we protesting when Floyd’s murderers have already been charged? Many naysayers claim that the protestors do not really know what they want. As former President Obama says in his blog post, protests generate “public awareness, to put a spotlight on injustice, and to make the powers that be uncomfortable; in fact, throughout American history, it’s often only been in response to protests and civil disobedience that the political system has even paid attention to marginalized communities.”
But, will we be able to bring any real change when nothing has changed for decades, even centuries. And my response is, “Why can’t this be the first time? Why can’t we be the pioneers? Nothing happens unless someone does it for the first time. Why can’t we be the generation that finally breaks down systemic racism and introduces meaningful reform?”
We understand that for change to happen, we must lay out the change we want. We can’t just say “Stop being racist. That’s bad.” We need to identify an effective plan to stop racism and “aspirations have to be translated into specific laws and institutional practices”.
To begin this change, we need police reform. And here is why.
(i) The ethos of American policing is based on racism and oppression
Historically, the primary function of the American police through slave patrols and night watches was to “promote the institution of slavery and control the minorities” (A brief history of slavery and the origins of American policing). After the Civil War, vigilante groups engaged in hangings, lynchings, and assaults of Black men on the premise that they were sub-human. Interestingly, the Ku Klux Klan was notorious for having a significant number of members in its ranks from law enforcement. In short, the premise of policing in America rests on a fundamentally flawed concept of racial superiority and mass incarceration. The “ethos” of policing based on capital punishment and a fear of the “Other” must change. If the taxpayer is paying the wages of the police, their job is to be fair and protect the vulnerable in society.
(ii) Bad training
As long as a trigger happy police use “deadly force” indiscriminately without any consideration for human life, we will continue to see tragedies like the fatal shooting of Rayshard Brooks, Breanna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and the list goes on. Provoking a confrontation rather than attempting to use any de-escalation techniques was what resulted in the death of these victims. Can sleeping in your car or running away with a non-deadly taser when cornered justify killing a man. Many critics claim that had Rayshard Brooks listened to the officers, he would be alive. But then, how can a “no-knock” deadly search in Breanna Taylor’s house be justified?
(iii) Policing as a system of no checks and balances
Police unions aggressively protect the bad apples in their ranks. Cops accused of misconduct and criminal behavior go scot-free due to arbitration hearings that are done behind closed doors. The high membership dues have created enormously powerful police unions that block reforms through their political clout and influence. Often police chiefs resort to blackmail tactics against the population when they are held accountable. For example, when Steve Fletcher, a Minneapolis city councilman sought to divert money away from the police towards a newly created office of violence prevention, the police stopped responding quickly to 911 calls placed by his constituents. Mr. Fletcher commented that “It (The union) operates (ed) a little bit like a protection racket.” Past records or complaints of officers are often not considered as they move to different departments. Even psychological evaluations occur at the last stage, just prior to handing them a gun and a badge when all resources have already been spent on training the potential candidate. Clearly, the system has a very low bar of entry.
(iv) Recruitment from minority communities
Police departments claim to encourage diversity recruitments similar to many corporations. However, if no outreach efforts are made to increase the pipeline of such candidates, the agenda is reduced to mere lip service. In many parts of the country, officers are disproportionately White, though the community may be predominantly Black. Besides the lack of trust that prevents minorities from enrolling in police academies and the nepotism that prevents them from securing unionized positions, rampant bullying in police academies also prevents diversity hiring. See article.
(v) Police budgets and the misallocation of resources
Police budgets are huge. For example, the Oakland police department receives nearly half of the city’s founding. The cost to the taxpayer is far more than the resources spent on education, healthcare, or affordable housing — a notable point when you consider that the majority of the population is Black. The NYPD has the highest police budget in the country — 6 billion dollars. Where does the money go — high wages, union dues, military-grade weapons, protective equipment to be used against citizens, and legal defense of errant police officers. Isn’t it common sense that we focus more on prevention, instead of retaliation. That would stop crime and prevent the loss of life more effectively. Do we really need to send armed police officers to respond to every distress call? Issues like mental health, homelessness, and neighborhood disputes do not require a single armed officer, let alone four. When someone calls because they are thinking about suicide, the goal is to prevent them from taking their life, not shoot them in the back because they may have a gun. If a homeless person is outside of a fast-food chain restaurant, it doesn’t mean they are coming in to rob the store. It may mean that they are tired, and don’t have a place to stay. Yet, racism and entitlement have become so entrenched in our society that people make police their first port of call. And, if you are unfortunate enough to choose the wrong place to rest, that may be the last place you rest.
The slogan “Defund the police” is a distraction, which right-wing activists are using for fear-mongering. Defund the police is actually a nuanced concept that may mean different police reforms based on community needs. In reality, there have been case studies where community policing has fared much better than armed policing in establishing trust and stopping crime. See article.
