Defund the Police? What that Means, and What it Doesn’t
Alex S. Vitale is Professor of Sociology and Coordinator of the Policing and Social Justice Project at Brooklyn College. His academic writings on policing have appeared in Policing and Society, Police Practice and Research, Mobilization, and Contemporary Sociology, and his essays have been published in The New York Times, Washington Post, The Guardian, The Nation, Vice News, Fortune, and USA Today. Professor Vitale has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, NPR, PBS, “Democracy Now!” and “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah,” and is the author of City of Disorder: How the Quality of Life Campaign Transformed New York Politics and The End of Policing.
Overview
Last year’s protests over the police killings of George Floyd refocused the nation’s attention on the problem of abusive policing and its connection to larger issues of racial justice. The protesters’ demands raise several questions: Can the police be reformed? Can defunding the police be a viable alternative to police reform? What would it mean for high crime communities that have had to rely on police as the only resource for addressing crime and disorder? Alex Vitale will answer these questions based on 30 years of experience in both studying policing and advising community-based movements for police reform. He’ll discuss the historical role of police and their relationship to contemporary policing, and he’ll look at the current movement to defund the police and the specific policy proposals it supports, including initiatives to reduce gun violence, fix schools, and deal with substance abuse and mental health crises.
Recommended Readings:
“How Much Do We Need the Police?” by Alex S. Vitale
https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2020/06/03/457251670/how-much-do-we-need-the-police
“How I Became a Police Abolitionist,” by Derecka Purnell
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/07/how-i-became-police-abolitionist/613540/
“Yes, We Mean Literally Abolish the Police,” by Miriame Kaba
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/12/opinion/sunday/floyd-abolish-defund-police.html
“A New World is Possible: Defund Police and Fund Black Lives,” by Kayla Reed and Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson
https://www.essence.com/feature/defund-police-fund-black-lives-m4bl/
In the final analysis, I agree with Professor Vitale conclusion. However, given the sensitivity of this topic, I would have liked to see data from both “sides” of the topic! Recent upticks in violence have moved efforts to create a more just policing environment backwards and without proof from both sides justifying what is needed I don’t believe we will ever more forward.