Polling shows that a strong majority of the American public doesn’t support calls to defund the police in the wake of George Floyd’s death.
An ABC/Ipsos poll released on Friday shows that 64% oppose defunding the police, and 60% opposed reallocating some funds from the police to social and health programs, according to the Daily Caller.
The poll showed that 34% of people in the United States do support defunding the police.
The ABC poll is consistent with a Yahoo News poll conducted at the end of May that shows 65% of people don’t support defunding the police.
Calls to defund the police have intensified following the death of Floyd, with several politicians and celebrities endorsing the idea.
Singers John Legend and Lizzo joined soccer star Megan Rapinoe in signing a letter calling for the defunding of police departments across the country.
The city council in Minneapolis, where Floyd died while in police custody, sparking protests and riots nationwide, voted this week to disband its police department.
In Los Angeles, the city council introduced a bill to slash the police department budget by as much as $150 million.
An opinion article in the New York Times published Friday with the headline “Yes, We Mean Literally Abolish The Police” argues that it isn’t possible to reform the police and that eliminating them is the only way to keep people safe.
That sentiment was echoed by Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, who called for the removal of the Minneapolis Police Department, arguing that reform isn’t possible.
“The Minneapolis Police Department has proven themselves beyond reform,” Omar tweeted earlier this month. “It’s time to disband them and reimagine public safety in Minneapolis.”
The Minneapolis Police Department has proven themselves beyond reform.
It’s time to disband them and reimagine public safety in Minneapolis.
Thank you to @MplsWard3 for your leadership on this! https://t.co/AQfHM5M6eR
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) June 5, 2020
