“Defund the cops” has become a clarion call and a litmus test for moderates and progressives.
The latter wing insisted the remark wasn’t purely rhetorical. Instead, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez suggested NYPD budget cutbacks were not deep enough.
Defunding cops is defunding cops. It’s not about budgeting or numbers. A lawmaker stated it does not imply transferring school police personnel from the NYPD to the Department of Education.
Rep. Ilhan Omar went further, saying the Minneapolis Police Department is “rotten to the core.” Omar stated during a protest in June 2020 that the Minneapolis Police Department must be dismantled. There is a cancer.
Many cities implement “defund the cops” policies by voting to reduce money for their local police agencies. Violent crime has subsequently increased dramatically across the country.
For example, the FBI reports an almost 30% increase in homicides in 2020, compared to the previous year.
When YOUR guy was POTUS –
"The homicide rate in the US saw a massive increase of 30% between 2019 and 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2020, there were 7.8 homicides per 100,000 people, an increase from 6 homicides per 100,000 people in 2019." pic.twitter.com/N2PCnHgisS— 🆘🇺🇸🆘 OregonBlue 🆘🇺🇸🆘 (@alessandra_inOR) December 23, 2021
Mayors London Breed and Libby Schaaf
In July 2020, during the height of protests across the country, San Francisco Mayor London Breed declared $120 million in police funding cuts and vowed to invest the funds in communities.
The city’s continuing violence and crime have made her reconsider. So earlier this month, Mayor Breed proposed securing emergency funds for law enforcement to help quell the chaos.
The plan involves more overtime financing for cops. Due to increased crime, officers’ vacations and time off have been nixed.
Following a spike in crime that included roaming, armed caravans, killings, and brazen smash-and-grab thefts, Oakland officials reversed plans to reduce the city’s police force.
Mayor Libby Schaaf of Oakland promised to recruit additional cops after urging them to be replaced with public personnel who can respond to traumatic events and other scenarios.
Ted Wheeler and the Portland Council
Mayor Ted Wheeler and the Portland City Council slashed the police budget by millions in June 2020. Last November, the council overwhelmingly approved a $5.2 million increase to the city’s $230 million police budget.
A similar dynamic has played out in locations that saw some of the most vital Black Lives Matter marches. Increasing homicides, officer emigration, and political pressure restored these cities’ police funding.
Last year, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot withdrew $80 million from the city’s police budget. On Monday, the mayor requested the federal government’s assistance with fighting crime and violence in Chicago.
Mayor who pushed to defund police by $80M pleads with feds to help with rampant crimehttps://t.co/tet1jrsYe1
— WPDE ABC15 (@wpdeabc15) December 22, 2021
NYC & Minneapolis City Council
In July 2020, Democrat Mayor Bill de Blasio and the New York City Council decided to undercut the police by around $1 billion. The 600-officer plainclothes anti-crime team was dissolved, and a cadet class of around 900 officers was delayed.
Then, months later, de Blasio retracted his statement, stating the city would invest over $100 million to create a new NYPD station in southeast Queens. The turn by Democrat leaders in Minneapolis, where George Floyd died, was perhaps the most consequential.
In February, the city council reversed course and granted $6.4 million into the police budget after locals demanded additional officers, due to lengthier response times and increasing violent crime.
Minneapolis residents rejected proposed charter changes to substitute the Minneapolis Police Department with a Department of Public Safety last month.
The proposition would have removed wording requiring minimum financing for the agency and given the mayor and council authority over public safety.
