What does it mean to reform the police?
As hundreds of thousands of people pour into the streets to protest racial injustice, combating police brutality has come to the forefront. “We have been fighting and advocating to stop a war on black lives. And that is how we see it — this is a war on black life,” Black Lives Matter founder Opal Tometi told The New Yorker.
Here’s a list of what protesters in San Antonio, Texas are organizing for.
On protestors’ list of demands:
-civilian review board w/ power to issue disciplinary actions
-more diverse police force
-transparent website showing all complaints
-end to most no-knock warrants
-better screening of police applicants for racist attitudeshttps://t.co/p0UlXNRKU3
— Marina Starleaf Riker (@marinastarleaf) June 5, 2020
And some organizers are going beyond reform. They say it’s time to defund the police.
From The Guardian:
Community groups advocating for defunding have put forward differing strategies, some merely opposing police budget increases, others advocating mass reductions, and some fighting for full defunding as a step toward abolishing police forces. Some initiatives are tied to the fight to close prisons. All are pushing for a reinvestment of those dollars in services.
We explore what it would take to reform the police — and whether reform is still possible.
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