Defund police

Today George Floyd's younger brother, Philonise, testified at a House of Representatives hearing on police brutality. It's worth a listen.

I hope testimony like this, plus the protests and the recorded scenes of police misconduct help to make a real difference in the way we view policing and the way police departments are run. People are talking about "defunding" and I think that's a positive isea. Police have a huge amount of power over people, with limited accountability - it's past time to re-envision the situation. It's been done before .... Camden, New Jersey is one example.

This city disbanded its police department 7 years ago. Here's what happened next

[...] The city, home to a population about 17% of Minneapolis' size, dissolved its police department in 2012 and replaced it with an entirely new one after corruption rendered the existing agency unfixable.

Before its police reforms, Camden was routinely named one of the most violent cities in the US.
Now, seven years after the old department was booted (though around 100 officers were rehired), the city's crime has dropped by close to half. Officers host outdoor parties for residents and knock on doors to introduce themselves. It's a radically different Camden than it was even a decade ago. Here's how they did it ....