Kerby Anderson

The slogan “defund the police” has done great damage. Byron York took the time to talk about the political implications of this slogan and also document the real-world costs of the phrase. For months the phrase “defund the police” was repeated at every protest and riot. As we got closer to the general election, some Democratic candidates started getting nervous, fearing that the slogan would hurt them politically. That is why they tried to redefine the term, by telling us that “defund the police” merely meant that some funds for the police would be redirected to programs for mental health treatment and affordable housing. The problem for these politicians is that progressives in their party wouldn’t let them redefine the slogan. For example, an op-ed that appeared in the New York Times had the headline, “Yes, We Mean Literally Abolish the Police.” As I mentioned in a previous commentary, many Democrats in Congress have been criticizing other progressives, saying that the slogan nearly cost them their reelection. Many who lost in November no doubt also believe they lost because of the phrase “defund the police.” But the political cost is small compared to the loss of life. One story from Minneapolis found that homicides are up 50 percent. More than 500 people have been shot, the highest number in more than a decade and twice as many as 2019. And there have been more than 4,600 violent crimes. Remember that on June 26, the Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously to abolish the city’s police department. More than 100 police officers have already retired with more ready to leave. Now the city council has had to provide $500,000 in emergency funding to hire temporary officers to get the city through the end of the year. This is just some of the horrible cost of the “defund the police” slogan.