Comments on: Defund The Police: What Does It REALLY Mean?

By: Mr.BD

Mr.BD — Thu, 11 Jun 2020 16:08:50 +0000

Excellent job DJ. You mad everything totally clear. I have to admit I am one of the ones who did not understand what defund police meant. But now I have been enlightened.

By: Truthiz1

Truthiz1 — Thu, 11 Jun 2020 15:12:08 +0000

Re: the ‘Ending Qualified Immunity Act’

(Cont) ‘For Years, ‘Qualified Immunity’ Protected Violent Cops. Could a New Court Decision Mark a Shift?

[Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) introduced the Ending Qualified Immunity Act to the House of Representatives last Thursday, reports Boston.com. Co-written by Rep. Justin Amash, a Michigan rep who once ran as Republican (he now identifies as a Libertarian), the legislation has 16 Democratic co-sponsors, including Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).

“Qualified immunity shields police from accountability, impedes true justice, and undermines the constitutional rights of every person in this country,” Pressley said in a statement.

The bill, which recently received an endorsement from more than 1,400 current and former athletes, coaches and executives from major professional sports leagues, would amend a portion of the Civil Rights Act of 1871 and “effectively cancel the precedents set by the Supreme Court,” writes Boston.com:

Specifically, the legislation would clarify the law to say it is not a sufficient defense for a government official to say they were acting in good faith or reasonably believed their conduct was lawful “at the time,” nor is it a defense that the rights violated were not “clearly established.” ] – The Root, June 10, 2020

By: Truthiz1

Truthiz1 — Thu, 11 Jun 2020 15:05:37 +0000

On a related note…….

‘For Years, ‘Qualified Immunity’ Protected Violent Cops. Could a New Court Decision Mark a Shift?’

[On Tuesday, a federal court went against more than a decade of decisions in denying qualified immunity to a cop who shot a black man 22 times.

The unanimous decision by a three-judge panel concerns the case of Wayne Jones, who was shot and killed in West Virginia in 2013 by five cops, who fired at him while he lay motionless on the ground, reports BuzzFeed: Judge Henry Floyd of the 4th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals wrote on behalf of the panel, citing the recent police killing of George Floyd.

From BuzzFeed:
Although we recognize that our police officers are often asked to make split-second decisions, we expect them to do so with respect for the dignity and worth of black lives. Before the ink dried on this opinion, the FBI opened an investigation into yet another death of a black man at the hands of police, this time George Floyd in Minneapolis,” wrote Floyd, who is not believed to be related to George Floyd. “This has to stop.

Judge Floyd wrote that granting the five officers qualified immunity, and thus dismissing the lawsuit against them, “would signal absolute immunity for fear-based use of deadly force, which we cannot accept.” ] –  The Root, June 10, 2020

By: Saleem

Saleem — Thu, 11 Jun 2020 14:38:39 +0000

This is the most concise explanation on defunding police I’ve seen yet.

By: Truthiz1

Truthiz1 — Thu, 11 Jun 2020 14:20:23 +0000

First things first, to defund the police does not mean to abolish the police. That would be idiotic. Defunding a police department is actually the scaling back of police budgets then reallocating those funds to other agencies. [….]

DJ, Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for this. You actually summed it up right there!

But your entire post (breaking it all down in detail) is just the kind of clarification that’s needed for Americans to have a Clearer understanding of just what “defund the police” really means. Americans who genuinely want to know.

And it’s much appreciated!