According to Merriam Webster, the word “defund”
is a transitive verb defined as “to withdraw funding from.” The web site dictionary.com provides two
definitions, namely
1.
to withdraw financial support from,
especially as an instrument of legislative control: Many university programs were defunded by the recent
government cutbacks.
2.
to deplete the financial resources of: The cost of the lawsuit defunded the company's operating
budget.
There have been many calls in recent days in communities across America to defund the police. But that action seems to me to be a misnomer. Fully defunding the police – essentially abolishing police departments - would appear to be a poor decision. Unfortunately, crime does not disappear simply because we will it to do so.
Having said that, there is little question that police departments are being called on to do many things that could be more effectively, even optimally, handled by different sorts of public agencies, those that are more specifically designed and staffed to handle various social problems. But this does not make for a convenient catchphrase or sound bite.
The New York Times has an interesting article, embedded in which is a good discussion of the issue.
I found this in an article in Fortune magazine:
So, what
do people mean when they say ‘defund the police’?
Defunding the police is shorthand for
a divest and invest model: divesting money from local and state police budgets
and reinvesting it into communities, mental health services, and social service
programs.
https://fortune.com/2020/06/08/defund-the-police-what-does-it-mean-protests-george-floyd
I guess “divest and invest” just does not make for a catchy slogan. But at the same time, clear and precise language may be exactly what we need to begin to tackle the problem. No matter how you express it, there is no time like the present to reflect and act on the things we can do to improve the lives of every American.
Stay safe and well.
Love,
Rebecca
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