CommentsDOWNTOWN LA-Members of the Minneapolis Police Department recently killed an unarmed Black man named George Floyd.
Once the video went viral showing three officers kneeling on Mr. Floyd, with one officer in particular keeping his knee on Floyd's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, there have been constant protests occurring daily all over the world.
Here in Los Angeles, it's the time of year we call "budget season" when the Mayor and City Council sign off on the City's spending budget for the upcoming fiscal year (FY 20-21), which starts on July 1.
Every year during budget season, all City departments put forth their individual budgets and hope their Requests for Funding are fully approved.
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is no different. In recent years, the LAPD has requested budgets hovering around $2 billion. This time though, they're asking for a significant raise to $3 billion.
Activists, including myself, have continuously spoken out against the LAPD's questionable tactics which have been described by critics as "money schemes." These include the LAPD "letting crime happen" during budget season and/or falsifying its own self-governed crime data and statistics, which are then used to justify its "ask" for increasing the budget.
This year, however, is vastly different. There is an energy in the air like never before. The Floyd killing in Minnesota has captured the hearts and minds of concerned citizens near and far. Tens of thousands of people are marching in the streets every day. The outrage and anger are so intense, folks have almost completely forgotten that there's also a global pandemic going on. The intensity level is extremely high, and the boiling point has spilled deep into the danger zone, leading to riots and looting in many cities across the country.
Here in Los Angeles, the LAPD utilized its same outdated bullying tactics using riot gear, citywide tactical alerts, tear gas and other militarized-style weaponry which is so over-the-top.
Their wartime tactics failed to subdue the relentless energy of the massive protests. After five days, the LAPD had no choice but to call for back-up and the National Guard came to town. In 1992, during the Rodney King Rebellion, numerous tanks and other military vehicles were brought in. This time, the National Guard showed up with only their AR-15s and they stood right behind LAPD.
But it was the activists, including myself, who were already in the streets extinguishing the looting and destruction of property -- not the LAPD or the National Guard. There is zero video footage of either group doing anything distinctive to curtail the overly aggressive energy other than making a few arrests. The DA has already publicly announced she will not prosecute any curfew violations.
In retrospect, so much taxpayer money was wasted.
And to top it all off, the LAPD is still asking for $3 billion! What is on videotape are multiple regular citizens being shot in the face with rubber bullets. A few are merely innocent bystanders, such as the disabled homeless man who is confined to a wheelchair.
Is this your idea of policing in the 21st century?
Black Lives Matter, other activists and their supporters and allies have put forth demands to #DefundThePolice.
LA Mayor Eric Garcetti held a press conference last week and announced that the LAPD's budget would be cut between by $100 to $150 million. BLM, et al, say that's still not enough. The LA City Council has also indicated it will support the cutting of the LAPD's budget by that amount. Mayor Garcetti further stated that all City departments would take cuts to each of their budgets so that an additional $100 million would be added to a special fund, bringing the current maximum total to 250 million dollars.
Garcetti stated that this funding will be directed to "the Black community."
The Police Union (Police Protective League, or PPL) released a statement in response which can only be described as more bullying tactics from the rank and file of the LAPD.
They threatened both the Mayor and the City Council -- reminding them that it's the LAPD that provides 24-hour security for their homes and families. We, the People should be outraged by this! Indirectly threatening the homes and families of our City’s elected officials? Wow.
These threats can and should be seen as extortion.
To insinuate the possibility of sworn LAPD officers "looking the other way" if danger is present, in retaliation for their budget getting cut, reeks of greed, corruption and abuse of power. This cannot and should not be tolerated by our City officials and all of us Angelenos.
Clearly, the LAPD and the police union have lost touch with reality. This is the perfect time to remind them all that taxpayer money belongs to We, the People. And it’s our job to tell our elected representatives what to do with that money.
If this were a performance-based budget review, what could the LAPD point to in justifying the need for a one billion dollar raise? Crime is up, homelessness is up, and all across the city, Angelenos are feeling less and less safe in our own neighborhoods.
At this point, why stop at that first $1 billion? Exactly what does the LAPD do that needs their annual allotment of two billion dollars?
Now is the perfect time to completely break down the LAPD's budget, an effort that will further justify legitimate outcries to "Defund the Police."
As previously mentioned, the LAPD couldn't control the current protests on their own. It is common knowledge that the National Guard and the U.S. military do all the heavy lifting when it comes to keeping America safe and free from harm. Then there's the 2nd Amendment which gives each of us the foundational right to bear arms. As long as the NRA is around, the 2nd Amendment will also be around. So if We, the People bear arms and members of the U.S. military bear even bigger arms, why do we need the LAPD? It doesn’t fight wars overseas. It only bullies us Americans at home. For those who speak about gun reduction, look no further than the LAPD. Especially if you're an unarmed Black man like me.
This shines a bright light on more and more Americans buying their own guns to protect themselves. Less of a need for the LAPD then.
The responsibility of issuing parking and traffic tickets can and should be completely transferred to the Department of Transportation. Isn’t that what they're supposed to do anyway? Again, we see less of a need for the LAPD to do this.
Street gangs are a constant concern, but what can the LAPD point to for their already coffered $2 billion that ensures us they have the street gang culture under control? (Please keep in mind that every 10 years that equates to $20 billion for the LAPD.)
This is where significant funding cuts should and must happen and be re-directed to Gang Interventionists who put their lives on the line, for little to no pay, as they directly confront "gangbangers" on the frontlines in the streets and communities where they are. With more funding, I believe gang interventionists can be that much more effective in channeling the energy of misguided youth into more positive programs. Which thereby brings us to the need for positive programming for youth, gang members and potential gang members. The LAPD simply cannot generate the necessary traction in what's arguably LA's greatest negative concern. Yet again, more reasons to cut the LAPD's budget.
The LAPD has publicly admitted time and time again that they are not trained and/or prepared to properly engage with the homeless population. Sure, they inhumanely find ways to criminalize people for simply being homeless. They overcrowd jails with them, which does absolutely nothing to address the actual problem. And when we activists call out the LAPD, they go running to our elected officials claiming they need even more taxpayer funding to "better train their officers." But We, the People have yet to see any improvements in any homeless categories -- except an overall increase in homelessness.
Furthermore, the Department of Mental Health has an annual budget of $3 billion. It is they who should be leading the charge of treating anyone who suffers from mental illness, anywhere in the public realm. There are also opportunities in which an enforcement component is needed. Therefore, DMH could hire a few former LAPD officers to join the ranks of mental health service providers and become positive members of our society. This proves that defunding the police can create new jobs for officers, who can still work within their current field.
There are countless ways to re-allocate the majority of the LAPD's budget and instead create a much more vibrant and healthier community, not one entrenched in fear and controlled by ineffective, overpriced bullies who use constant fear mongering and bully tactics to try to fool us into their way is the only way.
It is not.
And We, the People are saying the time is NOW to re-think this thing through.
As long as we continue to listen to the always underperforming LAPD, they will always sell us some snake oil and trick us into believing their way is the only way.
Or we can simply think for ourselves. For instance, when shopping for a new house or a car, we are taught to look around and try to get the best bang for the buck.
It's now time to apply that very same logic to law enforcement. Stop living in fear. "No one's coming after you." Tell the Boogeyman to go back to the Hollywood movies.
Think about it, most people who commit violent crimes against others, do so because they're broke and need of money. A re-distribution of taxpayer funding through a more balanced method would do so much more good than harm. Creating positive options for violent offenders makes much better sense than trying to control them with intimidation and fear tactics that don’t seem to be working anymore, or wasting taxpayer funding while claiming to be able to predict when these types will commit their next crime (An actual LAPD concept.)
Instead of blindly giving billions of dollars to the LAPD, let's show the world how progressive Los Angeles truly is by creating a new blueprint of what a healthy, vibrant community looks like that the rest of the world will want to emulate.
That’s the type of world I want to live in. Not the "constant danger zone" the LAPD keeps telling us exists, the one they need billions more dollars to protect us from.
Let's collectively open our minds and seriously talk about it.
(General Jeff -- Jeff Page -- is a homelessness activist and leader in Downtown Los Angeles. Jeff’s views are his own.) Edited for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.
Tags: General Jeff, Downtown LA, Skid Row, LAPD, Defund the Police, George Floyd death, protests in Los Angeles, police violence
