zlacker

I'm all in favor of disarming the police. If they need a gun, they can call it in. However, a city like LA would be nuts without cops, if anything there should be more. The situation on the street is not safe without some authority patrolling and making sure people don't get rowdy and heated; there are just too many people out of their mind on meth. I've seen someone get pushed and yelled at on the expo line for making eye contact with another dude who was tweaking on something, the confrontation ended when the victim pulled a knife on the guy and backed up to the other side of the train car.

>>asdff+(OP)
Practically, the things that people are advocating for with defunding are things like stopping paid administrative leave for cops under investigation, cutting pensions and rehire rates for cops who use excessive force, require cops to be liable for a portion of their misconduct claims, do not pay for military exercises, withdraw from police military equipment programs, etc.

The disband crowd still wants people patrolling and available to deal with emergencies, but generally wants them to be specialized, unarmed, and focused on peace rather than violence. Ensure we have mental health specialists on call, dedicated people focused on addressing the homeless community, etc. Yes, we'll need a few folks who are trained to use force, but that shouldn't be the normal mode of police.