Discussion on whether or not we should be divesting from law enforcement and investing in public resources for BIPOC communities
Hi class, One topic that has been at the forefront of discussion lately is whether or not we should be divesting from law enforcement and investing in public resources for BIPOC communities. Over $3 billion tax dollars (or 80% of the general tax fund) currently goes to LAPD resources and incarceration, which results in disproportionate over policing of and incarceration rates within black communities. (correct me if those stats are incorrect but I believe that’s right) The idea is that we should be divesting from LAPD to put more of that money into programs like education, mental health, domestic violence safety-nets, substance abuse recovery programs, income supplements, etc., it will be better overall for society. Researchers, sociologists and activists have made a powerful and compelling argument for why over policing in black and POC communities does more harm than good, that police more often than not fail to “serve and protect” but rather create more violence in those communities, and that the solution is to defund the police and move that money into social programs and resources to improve quality of life and demarcate communities. I’m wondering what people in this class think about this subject. Do you think society will benefit more if we start to withdraw police from communities or do you think we need to maintain a strong police presence to maintain order in society?
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