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How do we think about institutional racism in the American police force? How do we think about institutional racism in the American police force?
'The police must be reformed!': The police are systemically racist 'The police must be reformed!': The police are systemically racist
'The police are not the issue!': The police should not be blamed for the problems of a racialized society 'The police are not the issue!': The police should not be blamed for the problems of a racialized society
'We must abolish the police!': Reforming the police means getting rid of them 'We must abolish the police!': Reforming the police means getting rid of them
Policing is a tool for state-sanctioned violence Policing is a tool for state-sanctioned violence
We need to hold the police accountable We need to hold the police accountable
Institutional racism is a colonial hangover Institutional racism is a colonial hangover
The social role of the police must change The social role of the police must change
Defunding police will disproportionately harm ethnic minorities Defunding police will disproportionately harm ethnic minorities
American police victimise black people American police victimise black people
The police are not defined by the actions of a minority The police are not defined by the actions of a minority
A reduced police presence is dangerous for everyone A reduced police presence is dangerous for everyone
Defunding the police will lead to vigilantism Defunding the police will lead to vigilantism
American political institutions are responsible for police racism American political institutions are responsible for police racism
African Americans are predisposed to criminal behaviour African Americans are predisposed to criminal behaviour
The police are being victimized The police are being victimized
To be anti-police is to be anti-American To be anti-police is to be anti-American
Defund the police Defund the police
The police are inherently racist The police are inherently racist
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How do we think about institutional racism in the American police force?
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'The police are not the issue!': The police should not be blamed for the problems of a racialized society

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Defunding the police will lead to vigilantism

Calls to abolish the police are short-sighted. As the George Floyd riots have shown us, people are predisposed to looting, violence and lawlessness. Without police the country will descend into chaotic vigilantism, the effects of which will devastate generations to come. Proponents include Attorney General William Barr.
William Barr Max Rose
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The Argument

Defunding the police will cause more harm to public safety than good, and will up-end the country’s ability to enforce laws. Using Mexico as a prime example, a lack of structured and well-funded police will lead to an increase of vigilantism with no one around to reinforce the laws in the wake of the inevitable breaking of them. Often vigilante groups blur the lines between who is attempting to uphold the law and who is breaking it, leading to uncontrollable chaos.[1] With no one to call for help in the event of a crime, many people will have to rely on the goodwill and community efforts of others to deal with crime, which is not often successful. [2] Most Americans agree that defunding the police is a bad idea and is unpopular across all racial groups. [3] This agenda has been pushed by left-leaning and liberal political groups who are ignoring the wishes of society in order to appeal to those who support them. [4]

Counter arguments

Defunding the police would not lead to vigilantism, but instead would lead to an increase in community programs and organizations that aim to reduce and prevent crime locally with the funds previously used for police departments. Previous efforts to reform police have failed and tension between police and minority communities continues to escalate. The defunding would, for example, cut the budget for chemical agents such as tear gas for police, preventing unnecessary harm against the public.[5] The police are already a form of vigilantes, and celebrating them encourages citizens to become vigilantes. Defunding the police would show that this kind of behavior is unacceptable and thus could not lead to an increase in vigilantism.

Proponents

Premises

Rejecting the premises

References

  1. https://thefederalist.com/2020/06/09/if-you-want-to-know-what-disbanding-the-police-looks-like-look-at-mexico/
  2. https://www.city-journal.org/defunding-police-not-the-answer
  3. https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/2/13/18193661/hire-police-officers-crime-criminal-justice-reform-booker-harris
  4. https://www.foxnews.com/us/police-abolish-video-black-lives-matter-new-york-city
  5. https://time.com/5849495/black-lives-matter-defund-police-departments/
This page was last edited on Sunday, 29 Nov 2020 at 23:10 UTC

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