Transformational Public Safety: Reducing the Roles, Resources, and Power of Police

Protestor holds sign that reads "No More Names" in regards to black people who have been murdered by police

Transformational Public Safety: Reducing the Roles, Resources, and Power of Police

It has been one year since George Floyd鈥檚 life was cut short by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. George Floyd was a loving son, father, brother, and member of his community, and his murder sparked the .

 

Following the lead of Black-led organizations on the ground, last summer the 老澳门开奖结果 embraced a new North Star for our policing advocacy: divestment that reduces the role, resources, and power of police and reinvests in the communities harmed by police. The 老澳门开奖结果 determined this was the best and only way to bring racist and violent policing to an end, to empower communities of color to heal, to repair the harms caused by policing, and to build safe and thriving communities. For over 100 years, we have seen the disappointing results of repeated efforts to address police brutality merely by changing internal policies and training, and investing even more money in police departments. Incremental, piecemeal reforms to policing have not brought the change our communities need. To significantly reduce police violence, we must take bold steps that lead to transformational change. The 老澳门开奖结果 is following the lead of Black-led grassroots organizations in calling for divestment from police and reinvestment in communities of color.

Last updated on June 8, 2021

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Movement to End Police Violence, One Year Later

Protestors holding up a portrait of George Floyd

One year ago today, George Floyd was brutally murdered by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin sparking the largest protests in American history. What has changed in the year since Floyd鈥檚 murder and that uprising?

Our Progress

A collage of a statue of a woman holding a scale, a police badge, and a gavel

Wins We've Seen

Here's a list of wins over the last year as the movement to reduce the role, power, and resources of police has steadily gained ground and building power.

What has changed in the last year, from coast to coast, in big cities and small, is that the movement to reduce the role, power, and resources of police is steadily gaining ground and building power. A report from the documented that in 2020 alone, Black-led organizations and Black activists successfully advocated for $840 million to be reinvested from police departments, and secured investments of at least $160 million in their communities, including removing armed police from schools in more than 25 cities (and ), saving an additional $34 million for investment in meeting student and community needs.

 

Wins we鈥檝e seen:

What has changed in the last year, from coast to coast, in big cities and small, is that the movement to reduce the role, power, and resources of police is steadily gaining ground and building power. A report from the documented that in 2020 alone, Black-led organizations and Black activists successfully advocated for $840 million to be reinvested from police departments, and secured investments of at least $160 million in their communities, including removing armed police from schools in more than 25 cities (and ), saving an additional $34 million for investment in meeting student and community needs.

 

Wins we鈥檝e seen:

a collage of a black woman clenching a black lives matter poster with an overlay of rubbles from tulsa

Work We're Doing

Despite these wins, Black people are still three times as likely to be killed by police than white people, and 1.3 times more likely to be unarmed when they are. There is more work to be done.

Despite these wins, police still kill roughly , and this year began when officers responded to an incident such as a traffic stop or a mental health need. Black people are still more likely to be killed by police than white people, and more likely to be unarmed when they are.

In short, what has not changed since George Floyd鈥檚 murder is that communities of color continue to be patrolled by massively funded 鈥 state and local governments spend roughly 鈥 and heavily armed police forces that disproportionately stop, arrest, jail, abuse, traumatize, and kill people of color. It is the continuation of a generations-old status quo of racial injustice, while alternatives that reduce harm and violence 鈥 medical and mental health care, schools, housing, employment, social services, and more 鈥 remain woefully underfunded.

 

Work we鈥檙e doing:

  • Municipal ballot initiatives following the Brooklyn Center Model;
  • Support for Portland and Denver鈥檚 mental health crisis response programs;
  • Creative new litigation strategies to limit police responses and strengthen and expand non-police responses;
  • Defeating anti-defund legislation in Indiana and Los Angeles that would lock in police budgets forever;
  • Advocating for the end of the federal 1033 program, which equips police with military equipment;
  • Civil asset forfeiture litigation and reforms;
  • and lawsuits in Tennessee, Colorado, and elsewhere;
  • Litigation targeting municipalities that contract with Lexipol and its lax use of force policies;
  • to limit police collective bargaining agreement provisions that pose major obstacles to accountability;
  • Louisville, Kentucky collective bargaining agreement campaign
  • Targeting racist conspiracies between police officers and third parties such as right-wing militia groups and racist police unions
  • Supreme Court amicus work to abolish qualified immunity

Despite these wins, police still kill roughly , and this year began when officers responded to an incident such as a traffic stop or a mental health need. Black people are still more likely to be killed by police than white people, and more likely to be unarmed when they are.

In short, what has not changed since George Floyd鈥檚 murder is that communities of color continue to be patrolled by massively funded 鈥 state and local governments spend roughly 鈥 and heavily armed police forces that disproportionately stop, arrest, jail, abuse, traumatize, and kill people of color. It is the continuation of a generations-old status quo of racial injustice, while alternatives that reduce harm and violence 鈥 medical and mental health care, schools, housing, employment, social services, and more 鈥 remain woefully underfunded.

 

Work we鈥檙e doing:

  • Municipal ballot initiatives following the Brooklyn Center Model;
  • Support for Portland and Denver鈥檚 mental health crisis response programs;
  • Creative new litigation strategies to limit police responses and strengthen and expand non-police responses;
  • Defeating anti-defund legislation in Indiana and Los Angeles that would lock in police budgets forever;
  • Advocating for the end of the federal 1033 program, which equips police with military equipment;
  • Civil asset forfeiture litigation and reforms;
  • and lawsuits in Tennessee, Colorado, and elsewhere;
  • Litigation targeting municipalities that contract with Lexipol and its lax use of force policies;
  • to limit police collective bargaining agreement provisions that pose major obstacles to accountability;
  • Louisville, Kentucky collective bargaining agreement campaign
  • Targeting racist conspiracies between police officers and third parties such as right-wing militia groups and racist police unions
  • Supreme Court amicus work to abolish qualified immunity