“Instead of asking whether anyone should be locked up or go free, why don’t we think about why we solve problems by repeating the kind of behavior that brought us the problem in the first place?” [...] why, as a society, we would choose to model cruelty and vengeance.” — Ruth Wilson Gilmore
A movement to defund, demilitarize, and abolish the police is gaining momentum across the nation! Activists, organizers, and people from all walks of life have taken to the streets to protest police brutality against Black Americans. As a result of these protests, a veto-proof majority of the Minneapolis City Council announced on Sunday their plan to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department, promising to create a new system of public safety. But we cannot stop there.
Black people have been disproportionately targeted, prosecuted, and murdered by the police for centuries under an intrinsically racist, capitalistic system. In Oakland, the police budget eats up 44% of the general fund, more than any other city in the nation. For context, housing, transportation, and human services receive less than 5% combined. This is why organizations like APTP have spent the past five years working to reallocate funds from the Oakland Police Department back into the community.
We must take action to demand that Oakland City council defund the police and refund services that enhance Black lives, instead of taking them away, as well as elect organizers to City Council committed to divesting from policing such as Carroll Fife.
East Bay DSA will participate in many different actions in support of the campaign to defund the Oakland Police Department. Watch your inbox and our events page for event info!
Want to get more involved? Email us at defundopdnow@eastbaydsa.org