Go Ahead and Defund the Police

Photo by Matt Popovich on Unsplash

I’m a liberal progressive, an espouser and advocate for reforms that engender a more equitable and inclusive society, one that provides for the needs of traditionally marginalized groups of Americans. I support a fifteen dollar per hour minimum wage and I want millionaires and billionaires to pay their fair share of taxes. I am in favor of stringent gun control measures, LGBTQ civil rights, expanded family leave, Black Lives Matter, Medicare for All, robust immigration, and a strong safety net. I think traditional conservatism creates a breeding ground for avarice, exclusion, stasis, and abject humiliation. And with Trump as the chosen leader of modern conservativism, the movement is now being coopted by all kinds of haters — racists, conspiracy theorists, and misogynists.

The haters — the conservative party — want to use the police force to maintain their preferred status quo, a society where traditionally disenfranchised groups of people remain “in their places”, deathly afraid to speak up for themselves for fear of retribution.

I can remember my first negative encounter with law enforcement. The year was 1988, it was summer, and I was restless. I was barely twelve years old, hitherto unaware of the danger that police officers posed to young black males.

David, my best friend at the time, and I were playing Cops and Robbers. After about…