The International’s foreign affairs editor Colin McGinness takes a look at the movement which is rapidly gaining ground in the US.
Following a string of high-profile instants of blatant police brutality, cities and towns across the United States have seen some of the largest protests in a generation. The Black Lives Matter movement has been the focal point of these protests, having once again put the limelight on how systemic racism can tragically be a factor in deciding whether a person lives or dies. Protests across the country have been met by the imposition of curfews and the deployment of riot police. President Trump, incensed by self-described inaction, has threatened to use the military to clear protests and has since come under fire for using police action to secure a photo opportunity in Washington DC. With the impact of the deadly and economically crippling Covid-19 pandemic coupled with nation-wide unrest, America lies at a crossroads. The direction that the nation’s leaders choose will have generational implications.
From these protests, a specific call to action, “defund the police” has gained significant traction. But what does this actually mean? While of course it varies from group to group, the general idea behind the phrase is pretty straightforward. Activists and community organisers aim to shift government funding away from police forces and towards other social support networks such as counseling services and substance abuse specialists. Opponents of the movement are often convinced that the ultimate goal of these reforms is the removal of any form of law enforcement. But aside from a few fringe voices, this is simply not the case. Instead the goal is to redistribute government money away from often financially bloated police departments. Around 9 out of 10 ‘calls for service’ are non-violent in nature, but instead of investing in diverse public services to meet these needs, cities routinely spend up to a third of their yearly budgets on their police forces. The murders of Brionna Taylor, George Floyd and countless others should be evidence enough that immediate reform is necessary. Defunding the police has only recently entered the limelight, so it is often dismissed as untried and non-specific, however this is not necessarily the case.
Case Study: Camden, New Jersey
But how would defunding the police work? One clear example that has caught the attention of media outlets is Camden, New Jersey. Once one of the deadliest cities in America, a profound change has since occurred. The city officially disbanded both the police department and its powerful police union. Initially this was an attempt to actually increase policing, and led to a less diverse police force. However, after community pushback the new police force began to reform. It was reinstated in a smaller capacity and required previous officers to reapply for their jobs. Those that were deemed prejudiced or ineffective at deescalation were not brought back. This emphasis on de-escalation has been linked to a decline in the amount of violent crime that once occurred regularly throughout the city. While Camden is much smaller than Minneapolis, where George Floyd was murdered, activists hope that the lessons learned in this small New Jersey city can translate into broader reform at the national level. And it would appear that in some places, this may be the case. A key takeaway from this case study is also the influence of powerful police unions and how policing is practiced.
The Power of the Unions
A study conducted by the University of Chicago Law School on a sheriff’s department in Florida found that the introduction of collective bargaining rights for police officers led to a 40% increase in “violent incidents of misconduct”. Of course this is not indicative of all police unions, but the rights that they have over the termination of officers is pervasive. Officers that are fired for abuses of power or corruption can appeal the decision through their union and can be reinstated, even after being determined unfit for the job. According to an inquiry made by the Police Advisory committee, of the recent “26 cases where police officers were fired from charges ranging from domestic violence, to retail theft, to excessive force, to on duty intoxication”, nineteen were reinstated following the arbitration process. With local police unions taking an active role in pursuing these arbitrations, supporting some officers who categorically should not be reinstated, it is hard to imagine broader reform succeeding. When New York City introduced police regulations following the killing of Eric Gardner by way of violent choke-hold, the New York Police Department staged a slowdown with the support of the unions. They were attempting to demonstrate that because they felt ignored by the Mayor’s office, they should start to ignore minor crimes in the city. Ironically, this actually led to a decrease in major crime reporting, which may have inadvertently disproven the ‘broken windows’ policing that led to various policies that have largely been considered discriminatory. However, it is still a testament to both the power of police unions in America, and their resistance to reform.
Time for Change
After protests erupted in Minneapolis over the murder of George Floyd at the hands of a white police officer, the city council has voted by way of supermajority to disband the cities police force in an attempt to reform the city’s law enforcement methods. The affirmative vote of nine council members of the thirteen in total means that their majority cannot be vetoed by Mayor Jacob Frey, who had previously revioused to support the move. Cities across America are expected to follow suit, and there has been significant pressure from multiple sectors to approach and dismantle system racism that is still entrenched in so many facets of American life. Whether or not ‘defunding the police’ will solve these problems is debatable, but what isn’t up for debate is the fact that something needs to change in America. More than 1000 people were shot and killed by the police last year and the United States maintains the largest prison population on Earth. Now that public outcry has reached a fever pitch, the drive for reform is stronger than ever. Whether or not leaders will use this time to pass meaningful legislation to enact change remains to be seen.
Colin McGinness is The International’s foreign affairs editor
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