June 04, 2020

Here’s how you can help defund the U.S. police

topic:	Racism
tags:	#police brutality, #NGO, #donation, #Black Lives Matter, #Movement for Black Lives, #USA, #systemic racism, #racism
by:	Yair Oded

The murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody last week was a painful reminder of how deadly and pervasive systemic racism remains in the United States (and beyond). 

The killing, harassment, brutalisation, and intimidation of people of colour - and particularly black people - in the United States by police officers have been plaguing the nation for centuries, and encouraged by a political elite that sought to shield police officers from being held accountable for their crimes and acts of aggression. As an organ in a larger criminal justice system, the police have been utilised as a method of subjugating and oppressing racial minorities in the country. 

Instead of ensuring the safety of people, the police often spread terror, suffering, and pain in the communities they come in contact with (specifically communities of colour). 

As protests sparked by Floyd’s death proliferate around the U.S. and the world, a growing number of activists, community leaders, and even some politicians call to defund the police and replace it with community-led alternatives to emergency responses. 

The Movement for Black Lives (M4BL) is a U.S.-based nonprofit NGO working to organise and mobilise black communities to advocate for their rights and wellbeing and lead to meaningful, long-term improvements in their lives and treatment by the authorities. Their areas of focus range from healthcare and economic justice to community-building and political rights and engagement.

Among their numerous projects and campaigns to empower black communities, M4BL is actively calling for divestment from the police and the reallocation of their funds to black communities.

“We demand investments in the education, health and safety of Black people, instead of investments in the criminalizing, caging, and harming of Black people,” the organisation states on its website. “We want investments in Black communities, determined by Black communities, and divestment from exploitative forces including prisons, fossil fuels, police, surveillance and exploitative corporations.”

Please visit the M4BL website to learn more about the ways in which it promotes the defunding of the police, empowers black communities, and works to abolish systemic racism. You will also find information about their ongoing campaigns and actions, and can make a donation to support their efforts.

Image: OccupyYourMind