In the United States, there is a call to rethink policing. Donald Trump is foaming, but the first cities are happy with the idea.
- Racism in the Police : Protesters in the USA Call for Abolition
- "Defund the Police" becomes the slogan of the protests in the USA
- Donald Trump * warns of the “crazy idea” of the Democrats
USA - " Defund the Police ", "Abolish the Police" - Deprives the police of the funds, or abolishes them entirely. A demand that can be found on many signs held up by demonstrators in the current nationwide protests against police violence in the United States .
George Floyd's death triggers US racism and police debate
The protests stemmed from the death of George Floyd , who died in Minneapolis after a US policeman who had been charged with murder knelt on his neck for minutes. Police across the country have been demonstrating against racism , and more and more have called for either far-reaching police reforms or the abolition of them.
George Floyd's death may have been the initial spark, but the idea behind it is decades old. It is based on the assumption that policing does not serve its purpose, does not serve the needs of the population and instead only makes matters worse. Activists see evidence of this assumption in the countless cases of racism in the police force , whether through racial profiling in Germany or police violence in the USA, which according to official statistics kills 1,000 people there every year, most of them black or Hispanics.
Abolition of the police in the USA: the gate to hell is opening
For representatives at the other end of the political spectrum, the proposal to abolish the police sounds like the sound that the gates of hell make when you open them. Republican Sean Parnell fears “chaos and death”, Tucker Carlson from right-wing news channel Fox News speaks of “rape on the street” when “ there are no more cops ”.
And Donald Trump agrees too . He recently declared himself a “Law and Order” president. The Democrats, who had proposed a law to better monitor police work, had "gone crazy," Trump said in the White House. The United States has the best police force in the world anyway. "First they try to take your weapons away. Then try to take the police away from you, ”Trump tweeted.
Education and help instead of police and prison
But under the concept behind the slogan " Defund the Police ", few understand the abolition of the whole police force. Rather, especially in the USA , but also in Germany, the high budgets that are available to the police departments are to be cut.
On the other hand, the money gained is to be invested in social work, health care and education - especially in the areas that are considered focal points in police jargon, where there is frequent petty crime, resulting in many police operations and apparently again and again as a result to racist attacks by the emergency services.
Cut the police's money - the arguments for it
The key arguments for this requirement are:
- Petty crime cannot be combated through its persecution. This is shown by the experience of the past 100 years of police work . Petty crime arises from poverty, so it must be combated.
- Most of the tasks that the police are entrusted with do not require the use of armed officers, who often have no training for such tasks.
- The police, especially in the United States, are completely over-equipped. If you get so much equipment and so many weapons, you also use them.
- The racism in the police is structurally and not individually. Reforms therefore fall short. This has been shown by the past 60 years in which the United States has dealt with the racism of its police officers.
"Defund the Police" idea is well received in Minneapolis and Seattle
So instead of sending armed forces when an emergency call comes in due to an alcoholic homeless person, the theory is that you should send a social worker and a medic. Or even better: prevent people from becoming homeless.
The idea may still sound radical to many, but it seems that momentum is on their side. In Minneapolis , the city council voted to dissolve the police department. In Seattle , the authorities left the autonomy to their own neighborhood. The police station located there was closed. The police stay away from the "Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone", or " Chaz " for short . There is a self-organized medical center, free food and cultural activities. In “Chaz”, activists now want to prove that life without the police is not only possible, but is even safer for everyone involved.
By Daniel Dillmann
* fr.de is part of the nationwide Ippen editorial network
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