What Does It Mean to Defund the Police?

(TheDailyHorn.com) – After George Floyd, a Black man, died at the hands of four now-former Minneapolis police officers, the country witnessed protesters taking to the streets by the thousands. The expression of anger started out as peaceful demonstrations, but they were soon hijacked by agitators. Now activists, politicians, and media outlets at that same end of the political spectrum are clamoring for action, by either defunding or, in some extremes, disbanding police departments.

What does defunding or disbanding a police department mean? It all depends on who you ask.

Defunding

One of the most vocal and Socialist/Communist members of Congress, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), aka AOC, has proposed diverting more than 15% of the New York Police Department’s (NYPD) budget into social programs that unsurprisingly advance that group’s Agenda.

In a somewhat surprising turn of events, the city’s Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio has pushed back against the idea even though it’s supported by some of the Liberal members of the New York City Council.

Disbanding

One of AOC’s “Squad” cohorts, Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN), has taken a giant leap forward and called for the disbanding/dismantling of the department at the epicenter of all the chaos.

The Minneapolis Police Department has proven themselves beyond reform.

It’s time to disband them and reimagine public safety in Minneapolis.

Thank you to @MplsWard3 for your leadership on this! https://t.co/AQfHM5M6eR

— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) June 5, 2020

Minneapolis Council President Lisa Bender is part of the 9 of 13 members who have vowed to do just that. She did, however, admit they really have no clue how to disband the department, or how they would protect their citizens beyond some vaguely defined “community-based” system. Again, the money would be funneled into programs hawked by the Progressive Liberals.

Seattle

Meanwhile, on the West Coast, a microcosm of these theories is already playing out. The Seattle Police Department (SPD) boarded up and left their East Precinct Station, prompting rioters to claim it as an “autonomous zone.” During their pullout, officers removed some of the barricades erected during the protests, while those left behind were tagged with celebratory graffiti with slogans like “no cops allowed.”

There can really be only three possible reasons for this liberal push against law enforcement in the country. First, they’ve simply gone crazy. Second, they’re delusional in thinking that shifting money into Socialist programs will suddenly transform these areas into some kind of Shangri-La. Lastly, and most likely, it’s another effort to create the “American Soviet Socialist Republic.”