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Does Donald Trump or Joe Biden have the better approach to Policing?
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The only viable option is to Defund the Police

Defund the Police and other progressive groups believe neither candidates' policies go far enough and demand "that the federal government permanently ends and ceases any further appropriation of funding to local law enforcement in any form".
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The Argument

The police force is at the center of what is arguably a long-standing issue in the United States. Following the death of George Floyd in May of 2020, law enforcement faces scrutiny for its inability to hold the officer's involved in his death accountable. Individuals who have rallied in protest claim that part of the problem is that the police as an institution is systemically racist. [1] No amount of amending the institution would bring about the necessary changes needed to ensure public safety. As a result, protesters have called for the defunding of the police across the country. By withdrawing support from the current police force, this would allow the old system to die out, allowing for a new system that is not systemically racist to take its place. One of the proposed outlets for the withdrawn funding sees it redirected towards essential social services. These would include services tailored to job training, counseling, and violence-prevention programs. The overall goal of the movement is to see a decrease in police brutality and begin to address a long history of racism and oppression in America. [2]

Counter arguments

Despite how long systemic racism and oppression have been attached to the police force, defunding the police might not be the answer to this issue. Moves to abolish the police force as it stands, even defunding it, could have more negative impacts than they do positive. One would still need to consider the existence of other systemic barriers and economic inequalities that allow crime to fester. [3] Defunding the police would drastically hinder the police's ability to keep people safe. Instead, asking inflective questions regarding future policing policies might be more productive. Other steps that would work towards lasting change include improving police transparency and accountability as well as instituting force of use standards on a federal level. [3]

Proponents

Premises

Rejecting the premises

Further Reading

https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/defund-the-police

References

  1. https://www.businessinsider.com/we-need-to-defund-police-reduce-budget-spend-social-services-2020-6
  2. https://www.cosmopolitan.com/politics/a32757152/defund-police-black-lives-matter/
  3. https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/policing/2020/09/08/criminology-professor-former-cop-defunding-police-wont-work/5745784002/
This page was last edited on Tuesday, 15 Sep 2020 at 01:12 UTC