The Presidency of the Joes: more like INFRASTRUCTURE WEAK

Is that any different than teachers/colleges as an institution?

No. Importantly, DTP is much more popular with people who it does not directly affect. For example, in Minneapolis, DTP polls weakest in North Minneapolis, which has both the highest concentration of minorities and the most crime.

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Educational institutions mold minds, to influence what people think and believe. If you stray from the orthodoxy, and then take action, the police will be the ones to beat you back into your ā€œsensesā€.

Education system in a capitalist nation teaches kids that the institution that enforces capitalism are heroes.

Education system in an imperialist nation teaches kids that the military that enforces imperialism are heroes.

capitalism:imperialism::police:military

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Should higher learning be abolished then?

Higher learning can be a good thing. On the other hand enforcing exploitation can not be a good thing.

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How much? 100%?

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Do you believe the police never do anything positive?

DTP is much more popular with people who it does not directly affect? Skeptical that you could know this but if there is some evidence for this I would like to see it

"Minneapolisā€™s North Side, with a majority Black population, has decidedly mixed opinions on the City Councilā€™s effort, following the police killing of George Floyd, to significantly reduce the size and scope of Minneapolisā€™s police force.

Residents complain of rampant police mistreatment, but also of out-of-control crime and violence. That reality has left many Black residents here unenthusiastic about what has become known as the defund movement. Adding complexity to the debate, they say that they despise the police but need someone to call when things go awry."

from: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/04/us/minneapolis-defund-police.html

This story is from August but Iā€™ve only seen more like it since then. I live in Minneapolis and read the Star Tribune (local paper) every day. Itā€™s not like these people like the police, but defund is not popular, even in the place where the movement started.

I think itā€™s more like people who only have access to shitty convenience stores for their food donā€™t agree that the solution is to ban food altogether.

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If someone is an abolitionist, then yes. Iā€™m fine with starting the negotiations at 100%, and the police can grovel for funding or do bake sales if they really want to, maybe start a go fund me. :grin:

One of my best friends is Minneapolis PD. I did a ride along with him. The domestic calls they went on they did neutral/positive stuff. I donā€™t think we need police for those calls, and I think we could use our funds to provide better help to those people in need than what the police can provide.

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In Chicago, DefundCPD wants it cut by 75%.

We have a group called Good Kids Mad City, which is composed of youth from the neighborhoods affected most by violence (not limited to police violence) who proposed a 2% cut to the $1.7 billion police budget and to use the 2% for employment opportunities, counseling and mediation, violence interruption, education and youth engagement in their communities but of course even that is asking too much in a democrat run city

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Also, note that my goal here is not to defend the police. I personally think police departments are virtually all in need of drastic reform.* Iā€™m just saying the politics of ā€œdefund the policeā€ are bad and they are bad virtually ~everywhere. If itā€™s a losing slogan in Minneapolis itā€™s a devastating slogan nationally.

*And/or abolishment. I am from a small town in Maine that did not need a police department. I would support abolishing it. I would not support abolishing the Minneapolis PD.

no, ā€œrevampā€ is a step in the wrong direction

Your argument is premised on the idea that an effective police department means there will be no crime. Thatā€™s ridiculous imo.

This is what Iā€™m referring to. What do you mean by ā€œpolice not solving the issues they are supposed toā€? To me it reads that you are saying if only police were better at their jobs there wouldnā€™t be crime in North Minneapolis.

The article doesnā€™t prove what you side which is that more people care about the issue who arenā€™t affected by it. Seems kind of dubious to claim that as truth based off of a few people from that article, I can link to many people from those same communities that do want police defunded.

However, the article does show that 70% of black americans wanted police budgets reduced, weird how Biden and dems are giving them $750 million and other countless dem municipalities continue the upward trend in police budgets

Here is one of the problems with Defund the Police

It could mean defund 100%.

Or some other number.

For example 75%

Or only a 2% cut.

Despite reading a lot about it I still have no idea what I am actually supposed to get behind.

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In my experience, ā€˜defund the policeā€™ is much more popular with people for whom the idea is an abstraction about how society should operate (ie this board/Twitter/etc.) rather than people who are regularly interacting with the police. I think the article I posted does a fine job of making that point; I could find others like it.

And again, the broader point is about the politics of it rather than policy.

This is the problem you need to solve:
ā€œWhat are they suggesting would be the answer if we didnā€™t have police?ā€ asked Bunny Beeks, whose mother was fatally shot in North Minneapolis four years ago. ā€œI just donā€™t understand what that would look like.ā€

And if your answer is ā€œDefund isnā€™t abolish,ā€ thenā€¦ okay. From a political perspective, your messaging sucks.

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Are you referring to capitalism?