The mother of Trayvon Martin says she does not support the effort to defund police departments in the wake of George Floyd’s death.
Sybrina Fulton, who is running for county commissioner in Florida, said more police officers, not fewer, were needed in the United States.
“I think we need more police,” Fulton said, according to the Daily Caller. “We need police with better standards, and police with better ethics and better work habits.”
Fulton continued: “I want residents to feel safe. I want to bridge the gap between the law enforcement and the community.”
Fulton, who has been endorsed by Hillary Clinton and Democratic California Sen. Cory Booker, qualified this week to run against Miami Gardens Mayor Oliver Gilbert for county commissioner.
I’m officially qualified to run for Miami Dade County Commissioner District 1 #ItsTimeForChange #YourVoteYourVoice #ItsanewdayinMiamiDadeCounty #PositiveVibesOnly https://t.co/bXk73oBSQM pic.twitter.com/8dpR7xQLty
— Sybrina Fulton (@SybrinaFulton) June 8, 2020
Fulton’s son Trayvon was killed in 2012 during a physical altercation with neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in a case that gained national attention and ultimately ended with Zimmerman being acquitted, sparking protests across the country.
Celebrities, elected officials, and media personalities across the country have been calling for police departments to be defunded or disbanded following the death of Floyd in late May.
The city council in Los Angeles introduced legislation to strip up to $150 million from its police force while the city council in Minneapolis, where Floyd died, voted to disband the police department entirely.
