Recent calls to abolish or defund police departments in the wake of George Floyd’s death are not a good idea, according to Dr. Ben Carson, secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
Carson argued that largely low-income communities are under police protection and that those wanting to defund the police must see that it would negatively affect the communities that the police are protecting, according to “The Daily Wire.”
“Well, it’s low-income communities where the police are needed the most,” Carson said at a Senate Committee Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee hearing. “Places where there’s a lot of criminal activity, obviously you need to police. So, as usual, when people make decisions when they’re emotional, and they’re angry, they don’t think it through, and that’s what this is It will go away when people have time to think it through and realize how irrational it is.”
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Advocates of the “defund the police” movement are urging that the funds geared toward law enforcement be shifted to social service program. Although the importance of social programs is acknowledged by Carson, he found it unwise to view them as a primary defense against crime.
“Social programs are important,” Carson said. “And they’re part of the entire system, but they’re not the front line when somebody is committing a crime, that’s just silly.”
Democrat presidential primary candidate Joe Biden also expressed his disapproval at the defunding of law enforcement but says he would still shift some police funds to other areas.
“No, I don’t support defunding the police,” Biden told CBS Evening News. “I support conditioning federal aid to police based on whether or not they meet certain basic standards of decency and honorableness and, in fact, are able to demonstrate they can protect the community.”
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany asserted President Trump is “appalled” by the proposals to defund the police. “The president is appalled by the defund the police movement,” she said. “And when you think the left has gone far, and they couldn’t possibly go farther, because we all remember the defund ICE movement, and now they want to defund the police. This is extraordinary.”
–Dwight Widaman | Metro Voice