Defund the Police

Defund the Police!

Silicon Valley DSA denounces the police murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, David McAtee, Sean Monterrosa, and all who have died at the hands of police. The police function as a white supremacist gang that targets all people of color, and Black people specifically. We stand in solidarity with all communities fighting back against police terror.

We are in the middle of historic protests against police violence and massive retaliation that indiscriminately targeted peaceful demonstrators, legal observers, media, and medics. Beginning Friday, May 29, San Jose police deployed hundreds of heavily armored officers, who repeatedly fired rubber bullets and tear gas at a nonviolent crowd. San Jose’s demonstrations were organized largely by young people of color, who put themselves on the line to fight injustice. We are humbled by their commitment and bravery.

To address police violence we must go beyond reforms that tinker around the edges, and defund the police.

For local organizing toward defunding, check out our event calendar. Below you can find our Defund The Police zine – share widely!

Zine

We made a short zine about defunding the police! You can print it at home and fold it into a cute little booklet. Download the PDF: English version; Spanish version..

Print it, fold it per these instructions, and give it to everyone you know! Our zine is also on Instagram; and the online version of the zine is immediately below this sentence. 🙂

Why not reform?

Police protect their own

Police “union” and city contracts allow police to purge misconduct records, reinstate fired officers, limit oversight, and block investigations into uses of violence. [1] Media, jurors, and prosecutors are often biased in favor of police narratives. [2]

Bias training doesn’t work

Hundreds of studies dating back to the 1930s show that anti-bias training doesn’t alter behavior or change the workplace. [3]

Police don’t care about reforms

Body cams (even when on) haven’t reduced civilian complaints, uses of force, or significantly altered judicial outcomes. [4] Eric Garner died because NYPD ignored a ban on choke-holds.

policing DOESN'T WORK!

First, repeated analysis has consistently failed to find any connection between the number of police officers and crime rates. Second, the primary strategies adopted by modern police have been shown to have little or no effect on crime. [5]

Only 5% of arrests are for the most serious offenses, including murder, rape, and aggravated assault. [6] Three quarters of crime reduction is attributable to factors other than incarceration. [7]

Homeless sweeps make the problem worse

Arresting unhoused people and destroying their possessions makes it harder for them to access the services they need for medical care and stable housing. [8]

Domestic Violence aid groups caution against calling the police

Many victims face increased violence from their partner following police encounters. [9] Victims are rarely given the help they need. [10]

DEFUND the police... start funding communities!

Cities are spending millions of dollars on policing. Imagine what else we could spend that on:

Education

Studies show “schooling significantly reduces the probability of incarceration and arrest.” [11]

Supportive housing

An effective way to help unhoused neighbors [12] [13]

Community accountability and restorative justice

Community-based alternatives to policing and incarceration or other punishment-based systems. [14] [15]

Citations