Socialists Aiming To Defund The Police Run Counter To Socialist Ideals

Socialism. It’s a bad word these days.  But among many young people, it’s become quite popular.

Would defunding the police be a positive development, a step toward a better America?

Right now, NYPD personnel are protected by workers’ unions. And unions are socialist, by their very nature.

But socialist demonstrators are clamoring for police departments to be disbanded. They’re not thinking this through.

If we de-fund the police, or abolish the police altogether, as some claim is the answer to society’s ills, what will take its place?

I’m guessing Big Business. Privatized Police Forces.

Why?

It’s absurd to believe that a city can function without a police department. The police serve many vital roles.

True; policing may need to shift more toward helping communities than serving as a revenue collection service for municipalities, if it’s to remain relevant.

But are we going to see a cessation of all crime? Do the police create crime, then? Such a notion is absurd on its face.

While Black people advocate for change to how the Black community is policed, the real issue is over-policing of the underclass, including Black folks and all underprivileged people.

Sadly, a serious amount of criminal offenses happen in impoverished areas of the city. And so, the law abiding residents in those areas must deal with enhanced police presence.

They are better protected and safer, but they’re also sometimes considered a suspect. This, then, brings both positive and negative results.

A better question would instead concern why such areas have such high concentrations of Black and other POC, in the first place? Or, why do such areas of blight even exist in such a prosperous nation?

The issue is structural; economic inequality in our society is at an all time high.

When a handful of men have the same wealth as the bottom half of Americans, something is wrong.

The U.S. was created, in part, to deal with out-of-control transnational corporations and giant trusts.

Like the East India Trading Company. Anyone remember the Boston Tea Party?

Well, we’re back in that position. And, all these other issues, including policing, while vitally important, are peripheral, not causes, but rather results.

What will fill the vacuum if the police are abolished?

Once it’s discovered that cities still need police, will the cities rehire laid-off officers? Or is there another way? There is, in fact, an alternative.

Private policing. For-profit policing by corporations. Workers unprotected by workers’ unions. Quotas and work-flow incentives like you’ve never seen. No job security.

You think it’s bad now, wait until companies with strict output guidelines like Amazon, long known for its focus on worker efficiency, get into policing.

It’s good to have some elements of socialism, like city police and fire departments, libraries, public schools, road maintenance, national social security, and other services that help maintain social stability. Even the most capitalistic society has a place for all this.

We only need the high number of police in NYC that we presently have because of the kind of society we have built over time.

We love shiny things. We scoff at faith and goodness. And, we turn a blind eye to others’ suffering.

What’s of value in our society? Fame. Money.

Learning? Don’t make me laugh. Libraries are free and have been forever. So are many museums. And now, city colleges.

Why aren’t more families taking advantage of these resources? Our popular culture ascribes little value to them.

Education is an afterthought. Healthcare is free to only the poorest citizens, and only workers with full time jobs get it from their employers.

What about people working at a job where they’re only given 34 hours a week? The working poor are often forgotten.

We have lots of issues, it’s easy to see.

Slowly, we can shift toward a society where policing isn’t what it is today, owing to the fact that the rate of criminal activity has naturally fallen, due to society-wide changes.

But you can’t start with just removing the police while society still has all its problems and there are so many issues that need to be addressed first.

Police can serve a more positive role, but it’s society that must change first. We have police chiefs taking a knee with protesters. Walking with them chanting and holding signs. Is this 1965? Hardly.

Some people will still steal. Others will violate people in other ways and assault, rob, and rape victims. Run scams on the elderly. You get the idea.

No more police? There are some who will thrill at the prospect; don’t be naive and believe everyone means well.

Once we, as Americans, learn to respect one another’s boundaries better, maybe the police can take on novel roles, or we can begin decreasing the number of police officers, but we’re not there yet. Not even close.

It begins with re-evaluating our social programs and education. Eliminating waste. Evaluating failures.

In any case, using the NYPD to generate income for the city is wrong. Especially when it’s the residents who are the cash cows!

But if we lose our city-run police departments across the nation, expect something worse to fill the void.

After looting and riots caused many businesses to lose an as-yet-undetermined number of millions, possibly billions, now we should abandon policing?

Was that somehow a signal that society can fare perfectly well without our police forces? Quite the opposite!

It is undeniable that there is a difference between peaceful protest and violence and looting.

Nevertheless, arson and robberies did occur. How is all that negativity and crime sending a message that we, as a society, are somehow beyond the need for police?

When we lose city police and eventually end up with a privatized police force, everyone will be worse off.

And to me, that’s what’s at the end of this “abolish the police” path we’re presently toying with.

Someone sees an opportunity to cash in. I’m not blind.

It’s ironic that socialist protesters and idealistic young people will be the ones facilitating this money grab.