Opinion | The Police Killed George Floyd. Redirect Their Funding Elsewhere. - The New York Times

Tweet Opinion | The Police Killed George Floyd. Redirect Their Funding Elsewhere. - The New York Times: Redirect it to emergency response programs that don’t kill black people.



EXCERPT (more good ideas here, but couldn't get the whole article to post -- read it at link above):

Here’s another idea: Imagine if the
money used to pay the salaries of police officers who endlessly patrol
public housing buildings and harass residents can be used to fund plans
that residents design to keep themselves safe. The money could also pay
the salaries of maintenance and custodial workers; fund community
programs, employment and a universal basic income; or pay for upgrades
to elevators and apartment units so residents are not stuck without gas during a pandemic, as some people in Brooklyn were. The Movement for Black Lives and other social movements call for this kind of redirection of funds.

We
need to reimagine public safety in ways that shrink and eventually
abolish police and prisons while prioritizing education, housing,
economic security, mental health and alternatives to conflict and
violence. People often question the practicality of any emergency
response that excludes the police. We live in a violent society, but the
police rarely guarantee safety. Now more than ever is the time to
divest not only from police resources, but also the idea that the police
keep us safe.