Members of Oakland defund police task force push for more homicide investigators, dispatchers
By Lisa Fernandez
Henry Lee reports on what each side would like to see.
OAKLAND, Calif. - Five Black community members, some of whom have long been critical of police, and all of whom sit on a task force to reimagine public safety, are imploring Oakland leaders to not simply slash the police budget unless they also find solid ideas for better alternatives.
There are certain elements of policing that are important to keep the community safe, said community activist John Jones III who is formerly incarcerated, a father of three and the current director of community and political engagement at Just Cities.
Dr. Christina Greer and
President-elect Joe Biden’s cabinet picks, former
President Barack
Obama’s comments on
#DefundThePolice, and how the COVID-19 pandemic and protests are making local mayors’ jobs harder than the President’s.
Earlier this week, President Obama said on the Snapchat show,
Good Luck America, that “snappy” slogans such as #DefundThePolice hinder progress in the movement for police reform.
(Photo: Getty Images)
“The key is deciding, do you want to actually get something done, or do you want to feel good among the people you already agree with?” Obama said.
For co-hosts Dr. Greer and Dr. Johnson, Obama’s comments veer on Black respectability politics. “No one should be surprised that Obama acts like a 50-something-year-old Black guy with money,” said Johnson. He added that it’s not shocking that the mainstream Democrats dislike the slogan.
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