Should Buffalo ‘Defund’ It’s Police?
It wasn’t that long ago when the City of Buffalo Common Council passed a resolution to seek input from residents about what street in Buffalo should be renamed, or designated, in honor of Black Lives.
During that same City Council meeting, a resolution was passed to start learning and gathering ideas from residents about how it should ‘defund’ the Police Department.
But what does “Defund the Police” Actually mean?
The meaning of defunding has no universal definition and has different meanings from city to city; [and] generally defunding in many areas is not a call to eliminate the Police Department but reallocating a portion of funds to areas that increase public safety such as mental health providers, social workers, victim advocates and other community-based safety organizations and initiatives
-Buffalo Common Council
According to an article published by The Brookings Institute, ‘Defunding the Police’ means:
Reallocating or redirecting funding away from the police department to other government agencies funded by the local municipality. That’s it. It’s that simple. Defund does not mean abolish policing.
-Rashawn Ray / The Brookings Institute
By the looks of things, the resolution that was passed by the Buffalo Common Council on June 23rd, appears to be among the first steps to do just that.
To begin to create a system to collect and compile written input from stakeholders on their ideas of reallocating funds in the city’s upcoming operating budget
-Buffalo Common Council
So, should Buffalo ‘Defund The Police”? If so, this is the perfect opportunity to share the ideas and thoughts you have. You can find the survey here.
For more information, or if you have any additional questions, please feel free to reach out to your Buffalo Common Council Member here, you can reach The Council Staff office via phone at (716) 851-5155, or you can find them online here.
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