Following a weekend of unrest and violence in Chicago, the city’s Black Lives Matter organization called on Democratic officials to abolish the Chicago Police Department completely. Only then would the rights of black people be secured, the group said in a statement.
But it seems the majority of black people disagree, according to a recent poll. More than 80% of them said they wanted the police presence in their neighborhoods to stay the same, even though less than 1 in 5 said they’re “very confident” that they’d be treated by officers with the courtesy and respect they are due. In other words, black people might not always trust the police or even respect them, but they understand the importance of preventative policing and want it to remain consistent in their communities.
These answers put the African American community at odds with the activist groups claiming to represent them, such as BLM Chicago. While the vast majority of black people agree that reform is necessary, very few want to burn the system to the ground. And very few believe that their rights would be more secure if the “Defund the Police” movement were to succeed.
There is ample evidence proving black people are right to be concerned. Take, for example, the Minneapolis neighborhood that collectively decided not to call the police unless absolutely necessary. Most residents in the neighborhood were white and agreed that they lived with a privilege their black neighbors had never enjoyed. So, they decided to do away with law enforcement within their community.
A few weeks later, multiple residents admitted to the New York Times that crime and homelessness in the area had become such a problem that they were no longer letting their children play outside. One resident even said he was robbed at gunpoint. The point is this: You can get rid of law enforcement, but you’ll never be able to get rid of the reasons why law enforcement exists in the first place.
The African American community understands that principle, as does the rest of the nation. Don’t let the vocal few convince you otherwise.
