Black Lives Matter co-founder explains “Defund the police” slogan – By Ursula Perano (Axios) / June 7 2020
Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday that growing calls to “defund the police” are not about eliminating police departments, but about reinvesting funds toward “the resources that our communities need.”
Why it matters: Some activists say the only solution to fixing systemic issues in law enforcement is to defund and dramatically scale back police forces nationwide. But some Republicans, including President Trump, have seized on the politically charged slogan to paint Democrats as radicals.
- Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser has faced backlash for debuting a “Black Lives Matter” mural on a city street on Friday while still proposing an increase to the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department’s annual budget.
- A day later, protesters painted their own message — “Defund the Police” — after Black Lives Matter D.C. accused Bowser of using the mural as a “performative distraction from real policy changes.”
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