>The amount of money allocated to police departments instead
>of other social services where they're critically needed is
>staggering. Reforms and new training clearly doesn't work.
>Minneapolis invested millions and was one of the country's
>leaders in efforts to retrain the police to be less racist and
>focus on de escalation and it didn't work at all. So defund
>them, send police only when necessary, and send in other
>specialists who know how to treat people to deal with civil
>disputes.

Exactly...which is why that 8 can't wait crap is some bs

>As loud as these protestors are though, the country simply
>isn't progressive enough to support something like this.

i agree. you can't topple the giant at once...you focus in on the pressure points and find the weak spots and chip away at it. There will not be broad support for this anytime soon

but if folks find the sympathetic mayors and city councils that wanna try it, that will be something.

The typical okayplayer is now
>a 40+ year old conservative Democrat who believes progressive
>ideas are idealistic and unattainable. Many of them view
>social protests as a responsibility of the younger citizens
>and are fine with keeping the system as is because they've
>already invested their life in it and have reached a stable
>economic position. So they'll laugh progressive candidates off
>and ask how they'll fund their projects while supporting deals
>written in a week that give over a trillion dollars to the
>largest corporations of the country.

yerp.

>If you want to raise support for ideas like this, sadly you're
>on the wrong forum.

nah i posted this to spark conversation. that's it...and they've largely been good ones.
>
>So I'm totally for defunding the police but it would be the
>start of tearing down the system. Good luck convincing those
>who are content with the system and aren't being oppressed by
>it. Hopefully it takes off in a few cities and people can see
>that there are viable alternatives to overfunded and
>militaristic police forces.

exactly. those content with the system will get on board once they start seeing it crumble lol

>Something that is attainable now is the abolishment of
>Qualified Immunity, which protects cops nationwide and allows
>them to violate constitutional and civil rights without fear.
>Bills are being introduced and maybe that could get more
>traction on a site like this

yes, qualified immunity seems to be the domino that will fall first.