A police group in Austin, Texas, posted two billboards warning residents and visitors that the city has moved to defund law enforcement.
“Enter at your own risk!” and “Limited support for next 20 miles,” reads two signs along I-35, posted by the Texas Municipal Police Association.
“As the largest police association in Texas, it is our duty and responsibility to stand up for the brave men and woman of the APD, as well as the other law enforcement agencies with jurisdiction within the city limits which will have less of APDs resources to depend on, and to raise public awareness of the dangers of defunding not just Austin, but any city across the U.S.,” the statement added.
The statement said that the billboards are “intended to raise public awareness that Austin is a defunded city. This reckless act, a political stunt by the city council pandering to the radical left, will do nothing but endanger the people of Austin.”
The Austin City Council voted this summer to cut the police department budget by $150 million, or by about one-third of its overall budget.
Cities across the country have heard calls to defund police departments, sparked by the death of George Floyd and other black Americans who have been shot or have died during interactions with law enforcement.
The most liberal members of the Democratic Party have come out in support of defunding law enforcement, including “Squad” member Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
“Defunding police means defunding police,” the congresswoman said in a statement in June. “It does not mean budget tricks or funny math. It does not mean moving school police officers from the NYPD budget to the Department of Education’s budget so the exact same police remain in schools.”
