As some Democratic politicians are rallying behind the “defund the police” movement, the party’s leaders are trying to distance themselves from the push.
The phrase has been interpreted by politicians differently and does not have one clear policy goal. Some politicians have argued for slashing funding to police departments to distribute funding to other programs. Meanwhile, other politicians envision getting rid of police departments and replacing them with other policing programs.
Some Democrats worry that the phrase could be “easily caricatured” and weaponized by Republicans in the upcoming elections.
However, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) says that Democrats should not shy away from using the term. In a tweet, she said, “Lots of DC insiders are criticizing frontline activists over political feasibility and saying they need a new slogan.”
She continued, “But poll-tested slogans and electoral feasibility is not the activists’ job. Their job is to organize support and transform public opinion, which they are doing.”
Lots of DC insiders are criticizing frontline activists over political feasibility and saying they need a new slogan.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 9, 2020
But poll-tested slogans and electoral feasibility is not the activists’ job. Their job is to organize support and transform public opinion, which they are doing.
Additionally, Ocasio-Cortez laid out what she means when she calls for police to be defended.
She wrote, “‘Defund’ means that Black [and] Brown communities are asking for the same budget priorities that White communities have already created for themselves: schooling [is greater than] police, etc.”
“People asked in other ways, but were always told ‘No, how do you pay for it?’ So they found the line item,” she added.
She also slammed politicians for trying to “repackage this whole conversation to make it palatable for largely affluent, white suburban ‘swing’ voters.”
And by the way, the fact that ppl are scrambling to repackage this whole conversation to make it palatable for largely affluent, white suburban “swing” voters again points to how much more electoral & structural power these communities have relative to others
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 9, 2020
Just for awareness!
The newly energized push to defund police departments comes in response to the death of George Floyd, who died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine-minutes.
In the past week, the mayors of several cities, including New York City and Los Angeles, announced they would cut the budgets of their police departments.
Meanwhile, the Minneapolis city council pledged to disband the city’s police department.
However, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) says the focus should be on passing policing reforms. During a press conference, she said, “We could re-balance some of our funding to address some of those issues more directly.”
She added, “But this isn’t about that, and that should not be the story that leaves here.”
Additionally, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s campaign said he does not support the push to defund the police, as IJR reported. In a statement, a Biden spokesman outlined the policing reforms that the former vice president supports.
Still, President Donald Trump, who has cast himself as the law and order candidate, is trying to use the phrase to tar Biden and Democrats.
