'Defund Chicago Police' group wants money spent in communities instead
CHICAGO - A group that wants Chicago to defund the Chicago Police Department said Tuesday that $1.8 billion spent on policing be used in communities instead.
"Forty percent of our budget goes to a torturous, murderous organization," said Damon Williams of Defund CPD.
The group wants police officers to be laid off, saying that there is no evidence that more police make communities safer.
The group wants money spent in communities, on things like schools, mental health services and job training. They do not want federal coronavirus stimulus money spent on policing.
"What we are saying is: ‘Well-resourced communities are safe communities.’ The answer is very simple. Invest the resources directly into the community," Williams said.
The ‘Defund Chicago Police’ group wants the city to stop spending money on "ShotSpotter," which is a service that provides police with alerts that shots have been fired.
The group also wants the city to stop negotiating privately with the Fraternal Order of Police, which is the police union. The group noted that the FOP defends officers who are accused of abuse, and that the FOP president has aligned himself with Trump administration policies.
"All over the world, particularly young people are in crisis. The answer is not more military response," Williams said. "The violence we experience is geographic and communal. There are maps that are drawn that say where the violence is concentrated. Those same maps show where public investment is, where redlining is. The same maps show where investment in our city is working."