“As his criminal justice proposal made clear months ago, Vice President Biden does not believe that police should be defunded,” campaign spokesman Andrew Bates said in response to questions from USA TODAY. He added that Biden “hears and shares the deep grief and frustration of those calling out for change and is driven to ensure that justice is done and that we put a stop to this terrible pain.”
USA TODAY:
Throughout the weekend of protests inspired by Floyd’s May 25 death, Trump used Twitter to try to tie Biden and other Democrats to the “defund the police” movement. Some social justice activists have pushed to reduce funding of police departments and use the money to reinvest in social programs in response to the death Floyd and other African-Americans by police.
Bates said Biden supports the “urgent need for reform,” including funding for public schools, summer programs and mental health and substance abuse treatment separate from funding for policing so officers “can focus on the job of policing.”
In addition, he said Biden supports funding for community policing programs that improve relationships between officers and residents, diversifying police departments “to resemble the communities in which they serve,” and equipping more officers with body-worn cameras.
Defund the police? Here’s what that really means.
Dismantling and defunding are two separte things.
