Defund Police Towards Abolition

The Bottom Line 

Police departments across Pennsylvania consume hundreds of millions in tax dollars while failing to address criminality and poverty at the source. Black Pennsylvanias are disproportionately criminalized and victimized by these increasingly militarized departments. It is time to radically rethink our approach to public safety, replace our armed officers with professionals trained in crisis management, and invest in the communities that continue to suffer from the legacy of overt discrimination.

Jay’s plan

Amending title 18 of the Pennsylvania Code, the law used to acquit the officer who shot and killed Antwon Rose II , is an important step toward achieving justice. But this small measure, changing one word in the law to increase the level of threat needed to legally justify an officer’s use of lethal force, does not come close to achieving the transformational change this moment demands.

I support efforts to amend Act 111 of the Pennsylvania Code, a hundred year old law that allows police unions to force arbitration when cities attempt to take personnel action. This law allows police unions to stop localities from intervening to get officers who assault members of the public or worse off the force, and shields them from facing criminal charges. Amending Act 111 will also make it easier for cities to reduce the police department budgets through personnel action.

In the long term, I am ready to listen to the voices of racial justice organizers and activists to find state-level solutions to support public safety systems that actually look out for public safety.