"Defund the Police"

The chants of “ I can’t breathe” are being replaced by shrieks of “defund the police”, in the wake of the George Floyd death in Minneapolis. Is it time to scale back on the firepower?

George Floyd’s death was the catalyst for anti-racism demonstrations and protests around the world. The role of police is very much in their minds. For some, it’s an adversarial relationship. L.A and New York, some of America’s largest cities, are scaling back on police funding and putting those funds toward health and at risk youth programs. In the city of Toronto, two councillors have brought a motion forward to cut the Toronto Police budget by 10 percent, although the Premier is not in support.

Coming up on the Unpublished Cafe, we’ll take a look at the issue of defunding police, whether it will reduce these conflicts or lead to more crime. Do you think Canadian cities should adopt a 'community policing' model? Let us know by casting your vote at unpublished.vote!