For all its shortcomings as a long-term slogan, ‘Defund the Police’ has shattered the perception that police are indispensable. Americans have been forced to imagine a world without police, and regardless of where public opinion falls on the idea, the shift is astounding.
Still, the phrase does need a more positive counterpart – a flip side of the coin.
If we are to replace police with institutions better equipped to handle situations that don’t require an armed response, a slogan should reflect the need to build those institutions, not focus further attention on the police. They have their slogan (Defund) and don’t need a second one. Those who would replace them very much do.
Fund the Peacemakers.
Peace isn’t something that can be kept without first being made, and as we’re seeing clearly now, keeping marginalized people in line isn’t peace…it’s just keeping a lid on a powder keg. Rather than peacekeepers, we need peacemakers building conditions within communities for genuine peace.
Imagine a system where people who do stupid, harmful things are forced to make amends to their community, rather than serve a prison term that repairs nothing, heals nothing and makes redemption & rehabilitation more difficult than necessary. The first step?
Fund the Peacemakers.
Still, the phrase does need a more positive counterpart – a flip side of the coin.
If we are to replace police with institutions better equipped to handle situations that don’t require an armed response, a slogan should reflect the need to build those institutions, not focus further attention on the police. They have their slogan (Defund) and don’t need a second one. Those who would replace them very much do.
Fund the Peacemakers.
Peace isn’t something that can be kept without first being made, and as we’re seeing clearly now, keeping marginalized people in line isn’t peace…it’s just keeping a lid on a powder keg. Rather than peacekeepers, we need peacemakers building conditions within communities for genuine peace.
Imagine a system where people who do stupid, harmful things are forced to make amends to their community, rather than serve a prison term that repairs nothing, heals nothing and makes redemption & rehabilitation more difficult than necessary. The first step?
Fund the Peacemakers.
Photo by Steve Carrera on Unsplash
Alternatives to the police are so poorly funded, a lot of people have trouble seeing them as a viable option. Nobody wants to replace police with social workers as currently constituted. However, imagine social workers with the resources they need to do their jobs properly, rather than being understaffed and over-worked in a hostile environment. Police could still provide support in dangerous situations, but under much stricter rules and protocols, thus creating a safer environment for everyone involved.
Police have a place in the system. There are absolutely situations which require an armed response from a well-trained police force. However, much of what police currently do has little to do with that mission. What would be the harm in cobbling together the best ideas on alternatives to traditional policing, creating and funding a pilot project in several cities across America, and seeing what happens?
Fund the Peacemakers.
Imagine community groups with the resources to actually improve the neighborhoods they live in, rather than attempting to do so on shoestring budgets. How much policing would really be needed? Police rarely stop crime anyway, so why not lay the groundwork for neighborhoods with less crime to begin with?
Everyone knows low-level property crime is rarely even investigated, much less solved. Police typically seize more property than they recover.
Why not give resources to groups willing to do the difficult legwork associated with helping people recover their stolen property and actually track down those responsible? Could it really be any worse than it is now?
Fund the Peacemakers.
At the end of the day, all ‘Reforming/Remaking/Rethinking/Reimagining/Reinventing the Police’ does is reinforce the idea that police are indispensable by continuing to put them at the heart of the solution. This would be an enormous mistake after the protests have done such a marvelous job of puncturing a hole in that idea.
A new slogan shouldn’t focus on the police…it should focus on getting money and resources to their replacements.
Fund the Peacemakers!
Police have a place in the system. There are absolutely situations which require an armed response from a well-trained police force. However, much of what police currently do has little to do with that mission. What would be the harm in cobbling together the best ideas on alternatives to traditional policing, creating and funding a pilot project in several cities across America, and seeing what happens?
Fund the Peacemakers.
Imagine community groups with the resources to actually improve the neighborhoods they live in, rather than attempting to do so on shoestring budgets. How much policing would really be needed? Police rarely stop crime anyway, so why not lay the groundwork for neighborhoods with less crime to begin with?
Everyone knows low-level property crime is rarely even investigated, much less solved. Police typically seize more property than they recover.
Why not give resources to groups willing to do the difficult legwork associated with helping people recover their stolen property and actually track down those responsible? Could it really be any worse than it is now?
Fund the Peacemakers.
At the end of the day, all ‘Reforming/Remaking/Rethinking/Reimagining/Reinventing the Police’ does is reinforce the idea that police are indispensable by continuing to put them at the heart of the solution. This would be an enormous mistake after the protests have done such a marvelous job of puncturing a hole in that idea.
A new slogan shouldn’t focus on the police…it should focus on getting money and resources to their replacements.
Fund the Peacemakers!
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