Cartoon by Christopher Weyant

Defund the police: What does it mean, and what would it look like in Philly?

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Amid protests against police brutality and systemic racism, there’s a nationwide rallying cry: “Defund the police.” .

“At a time of police violence nationwide we need to fund our communities, not police,” wrote Philly’s Movement Alliance Project (@mvmalliance) on Twitter under the growing #DefundThePolice hashtag.

According to supporters, defunding the police is part of a solution to fixing police brutality and racial injustice.

But what does ‘defund’ the police mean?

Depending on who you ask, the answer may be different. Some supporters advocate for abolishing entire police departments. But most say it’s about reallocating money away from police departments and putting it toward social services, and reexamining the role police play in society.

“Public safety isn’t just policing,” says Bryan Mercer, executive director of the Movement Alliance Project. “Meanwhile, we have cops that are effectively made to do the job that social workers, health-care professionals, and community organizations should do, without the training.”

For many, this fight is not about eliminating the police force but about reimagining it. Do all 911 calls warrant a police response? Are there times where unarmed social workers could deescalate a mental health crisis instead of using armed police officers? Instead of police, should it be housing counselors and mental health workers who help people experiencing homelessness? These are the kinds of questions advocates are pushing city government to consider.

“It’s about changing the way we understand which human behaviors should be targeted by police, such as robbery, rape, and murder, and which ones should be targeted by increased social services and social spending, such as homelessness, drug addiction, and mental illness, and which ones should be tolerated, decriminalized, or otherwise ignored,” says Matt Wray, an associate professor of sociology at Temple University.

What does this mean for crime?

Advocates want to tackle crime and mental health at their root. They want to see an increase in resources for job training to decrease the city’s poverty level, and housing for those who can’t afford it. They want counselors to take precedence over police in schools where budgets are tight.

“Crime is not random. It’s due to the lack of education, the lack of jobs,” says Kevin M. Moseby, assistant teaching professor of sociology at Drexel University. “If communities have the right social infrastructure, they wouldn’t be getting into situations where police are serving in places where they shouldn’t really be.”

Police aren’t trained social workers, nor should they be, says Moseby. Real change, he says, comes from building up the community so that to an extent, the community polices itself.

“This isn’t anarchy or a call to let violent activity run amok,” says Moseby. “This is about providing resources that will actually make us safer and healthier as a society.”

Police reform efforts, like training and body cameras, aren’t enough, say advocates, and the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery are evidence.

“George Floyd’s violent death was a breaking point — an all-too-familiar reminder that for black people law enforcement doesn’t protect or save our lives,” Black Lives Matter wrote on its #DefundThePolice page. “We demand investment in our communities and the resources to ensure black people not only survive, but thrive.” >>>