What Happens When “Defund the Police” Smacks Up Against Reality?

What Happens When “Defund the Police” Smacks Up Against Reality?

By Steve Pomper 

Is the defund the police movement losing steam? There are radicals who will never give up on any of their perverse goals. But many officials who initially supported defunding the cops have faceplanted into a reality wall. They’re learning that defunding the police results in increased crime. Who knew?

The Minneapolis City Council was in the forefront of the defund the police idiocy at its inception, even calling to abolish the police. So, their running headlong into a reality wall probably brought a smirk to many cops’ faces. After voting to abolish the police, some council members hired private, armed security at taxpayer expense. But that apparently wasn’t enough hypocrisy.

After voting to abolish the police, the council also had a meeting with the police chief about an increase crime. Councilmember Jamal Osman asked Police Chief Medaria Arrondondo, “Residents are asking, ‘Where are the police’?” Well, “defunding” and “abolishing” the police have real-life consequences, councilmember.

Minneapolis is not the only city smacking into a reality wall. Audrey Conklin, at Fox News, asks, “What happened to ‘defund the police’?” The subtitle expounds on the issue. “Movement may be alive on social media and in protests, but some officials are questioning its feasibility.” This is weird because there are lucid people in the world who never arrive at questioning the “feasibility” of a stupid idea.

If Minneapolis’ barely-there Mayor Jacob Frey had shown leadership to stop that city’s riots, it could have reduced much of the mayhem that spread nationally because of his inaction. Though Frey said he doesn’t support abolishing the police, he still reportedly cut $14 million from the police budget.

Other progressive politicians have also leapt into the defund the police mosh pit. L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti plans to cut $150 million from the LAPD. The New York City Council voted to chop $1 billion off the NYPD budget. Both cities announced they will “redirect” the funds to “community programs.” Minneapolis politicians promise “police alternatives,” which, according to Hot Air, the city is already not funding either.

In a press release, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said, “Defunding police means defunding police. It does not mean budget tricks or funny math. It does not mean moving school police officers from the NYPD budget to the Department of Education’s budget, so the exact same police remain in schools.” Her hatred for cops seems to ooze from her pores.

Paul Cassel, a law professor at the University of Utah, recently wrote a research paper attempting to explain “homicide spikes in U.S. cities.” He points out that many of these cities that have voted to defund or abolish the police have not had their cuts or policies put in place yet. Yet the crime continues to increase.

Cassel notes that one consideration is cities where radicals keep forcing authorities to redeploy officers from patrolling neighborhoods to riot control duties. It’s obvious that fewer police resources in an area means violent criminals are freer to commit their crimes.

Add to this the ongoing trend toward less proactive policing because city leaders do not support their officers. And that cops are seeing their fellow officers across the nation being prosecuted for doing their jobs. Increases in crimes are to be expected.

However, though some cuts don’t go into effect until 2021, it’s not difficult to connect defunding the police and increasing crime. Even where the cuts haven’t yet been implemented, there is also a demoralizing effect on cops when city officials call for and vote for defunding or abolishing them.

Though this ludicrous defund movement is depressing, there seems to be some hope. When politicians force unreasonable policies and laws on the people, the people will eventually push back. You have political leaders who vote to defund the police and then whine about reduced police protection. And you have politicians who want to defund or abolish the police, while simultaneously they want to disarm the people. This massive assault on common sense and on Americans’ rights, including to self-defense, cannot be tolerated.

We must continue to actively support our law enforcement officers and also support those public officials who support them.

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