Nov 13, 2022
What is actually being defunded.
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What is actually being defunded.
Bloated police budgets are being used to suppress social problems arising from austerity, argues John Clarke The impacts of the cost-of-living crisis and the accumulating effects of austerity measures are being felt sharply all across Canada.
The old Law and order scare
“.., The turn to intensified policing becomes clear if we consider the situation in each of Canada’s three largest cities. Toronto’s Police Services Board has approved $50 million in the police budget, bringing it to $1.1 billion. The Board took this move ‘despite outcry from critics who said the money would be better invested in underfunded community services.’
Toronto Mayor, John Tory, enthusiastically supported the increase and stated that the additional resources would lead to the hiring of an additional 200 cops and an ability to effectively target ‘youth violence’. Leaving no doubt that the measure is part of a very calculated political focus on law and order, Tory asserted that the diversion of resources to policing would help ‘remedy the issues that matter to the people of Toronto’. ...”
All politics is local
"It's not buying tanks," council member Mark-Anthony Middleton said during the virtual council meeting.
Durham gained local and national attention in recent weeks for the police department's response to George Floyd protests. As Raleigh officers donned riot gear, Durham PD stayed hands-off at demonstrations.
That goodwill fell apart Monday [2020-06-15] night when the City Council unanimously voted to increase the police budget by 5 percent, adding over $1 million to the department's current cash flow from the city. This came after thousands of emails from residents asked them not to.
"It's not buying tanks," councilmember Mark-Anthony Middleton said during the virtual council meeting. "It's not buying tear gas. It's not hiring more officers to be on the street. But it is going up, and everybody tonight is going to vote for it. And the reason why we're going to vote for it is it's hard to govern based upon bumper stickers and slogans."
The "bumper sticker" Middleton refers to is "Defund the Police," a chant at Black Lives Matter protests and a larger movement to reduce police budgets and abolish departments altogether.
The $70 million budget prioritizes addressing gang activity with an additional "Gang Unit," and will "continue to explore innovative recruiting techniques," despite Middleton's claim that no more officers will be hired. Technically, this is correct — the funds are being used to backfill positions, as opposed to creating new ones. The vacant positions were approved in February 2020.
Residents have been quick to react to the police budget increase on social media. The Durham chapter of Democratic Socialists of America called out council member Mark Middleton for his bumper sticker comments. A group of protestors camped out at the Durham Police Department after the budget passed; the occupation is ongoing.
Along with the increase in police funding, the budget has a $4 million decrease for street paving, cuts retiree health insurance funds by 20% and does not include pay raises for city employees. Also, expect your city water and sewer rates to increase July 1.
This is a developing story.
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On Monday the Los Angeles City Controller’s Office released their highly anticipated LAPD helicopter unit audit.
from https://lataco.com/
Law enforcement killed at least 1,176 people or about 100 people a month last year, making it the deadliest for police violence
We need to organize and do this in every city