Grammy-winning singer John Legend defended efforts to defund the police, writing that “we spend far too much” on law enforcement and that “there should be significantly fewer police” in this country.
John Legend posted a lengthy series of tweets in which he defended the controversial movement to strip funding from police forces around the country in response to the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
I know this word "defund" has caused some controversy, even from some who are inclined to agree with a lot of the underlying arguments. Some hear that word and envision The Purge, some dystopian descent into anarchy
— John Legend (@johnlegend) June 7, 2020
“I know this word ‘defund’ has caused some controversy, even from some who are inclined to agree with a lot of the underlying arguments,” Legend wrote. “Police funding takes up a huge portion of our local budgets. Budgets are moral documents which spell out in black and white what our priorities are. We have finite amounts of money to spend and right now we spend far too much on policing.”
Police funding takes up a huge portion of our local budgets. Budgets are moral documents which spell out in black and white what our priorities are. We have finite amounts of money to spend and right now we spend far too much on policing
— John Legend (@johnlegend) June 7, 2020
The “All of Me” singer contended that “defund the police” doesn’t mean eliminating law enforcement entirely.
“It means there should be significantly fewer police and more professionals of other types with expertise in their fields, whether it’s social work, health care, conflict resolution, drug treatment, etc,” he said.
Whenever there are budget cuts, those "softer" services are on the chopping block first. And, since we know we're not solving the underlying problems, we figure we better keep a huge police force to contain them. Let's resolve to do differently. Let's imagine a healthier world
— John Legend (@johnlegend) June 7, 2020
"defund" is the word because it says we're taking away some funding from one budget item and moving it to higher priorities. "reform" or "retrain" does not at all suggest the same thing. We've been supposedly doing the latter for decades
— John Legend (@johnlegend) June 7, 2020
Legend added: “I’m almost 100% sure Biden won’t be tweeting #DefundThePolice. It’s the job of activists to push these politicians toward meaningful change.”
Everyone was saying $15 minimum wage and Medicare for All and gay marriage were also unrealistic and ridiculous but activists moved the conversation and pushed politicians toward progress
— John Legend (@johnlegend) June 7, 2020
Joe Biden has publicly stated that he doesn’t support defunding the police.
Legend’s tweetstorm was in response to an essay in Essence magazine titled “How To Keep Our Children Safe: A Mother Explains Why We Must Defund Police.”
The essay, by Asha Bandele, contends that defunding police is “actually the only thing we can do if we want to ensure the safety of our children.”
She also wrote that the police represent a destructive force for black communities. “Their role is not heroic but harmful—when not outright deadly,” she wrote.
John Legend is one of a growing list of Hollywood stars who is calling for the defunding of police. Others include Natalie Portman, Susan Sarandon, Jane Fonda, Emily Ratajkowski, Kendrick Sampson, Taraji P. Henson, and pop star Lizzo.
Follow David Ng on Twitter @HeyItsDavidNg. Have a tip? Contact me at dng@breitbart.com
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