BY: CLAIRE KIM
With the recent announcement of the defunding of Minnesota PD, reactions along the spectrum have occurred. Many are emotional, realizing that their efforts finally paid off, many are relieved, feeling a sense of safety and security, many are thrilled, seeing a change in our communities, and some are fearful, fearing what the state, or country in the future, will look like without the police department’s presence.
So, what will our state or country look like?
Well, firstly, without the police, this doesn’t mean that chaos and lack of order will result. In fact, quite frankly, the opposite will occur. Now that the current police department has been refunded, this directly means that the funding of the police has halted, resulting in a different distribution of city and state funding to local government operations and facilities. This decision is crucial as current police officers, as of right now, the Minnesota PD, will be forced to layoff, making all those in the present line-up lose their credentials and authority. Essentially, a “wipe-out”.
If this happens, two things may occur. First, a new set of police officers with updated guidelines for maximum public safety will be installed. Or, second, the structure of the police department right now will change completely, leading to new initiatives, codes of honor, and a revolutionary shift in our local defense systems.
Additionally, aside from the repercussions the police department will undergo themselves, the black minority will also face some incredible changes as well. Pattrise Cullors, the co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement, states that the defunding of the police department will bring less harm to black communities and potentially “upgrade” them using the extra money saved from defunding. He explains, “It’s about reinvesting those dollars into black communities, communities that have been deeply divested from.”
This moment will forever be written in history. Let’s hope, however, this change is actually a CHANGE.
claire kim. 