George Floyd’s death at the hands of the police in the United States sparked major protests against police brutality and racial injustice not only in the nation but in other parts of the word. While the protests called for the police force to be defunded, a recent Associated Press analysis has revealed that since the protests, US state police budgets have been slightly trimmed but mostly because of COVID-19 challenges. 

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Only modest changes made to police structure and budget

According to reports, the budget cuts suffered by the police departments have been as much a result of dwindling government revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic as protesters’ call for police reforms. Supporters of the ‘Defund the police’ movement have reportedly demanded a major overhaul of the policing system in the US as it has been repeatedly linked to excessive violence against African-Americans and other minority groups.

As per reports, advocates of the policy overhaul wish for the police funds to be transferred to different areas and different projects such as community programs aimed at preventing crime. They have also demanded that police officers be removed from schools. Intensifying the defunding demands, Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson, a lead activist at the Movement for Black Lives, said, “Police don’t really solve or prevent most of what is classified as a criminal activity”.

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Minneapolis, Seattle and Portland, Oregon were reportedly hotspots for the BLM movement when it was at its peak, but the calls for deep cuts in the police budget has been met with an only modest reduction. Even more Liberal areas like Austin, Texas, and Berkeley, California have been slow to implement proposed changes to the police.

George Floyd was killed back in late May as he was pinned to the ground by a Minneapolis police officer. The arresting officer pressed his knee into an unarmed Floyd’s neck for more than 8 minutes, cutting off airflow and resulting in his death. The arresting officer and three other officers present at the scene were charged with George Floyd’s death.

(With AP inputs, Image: Pixabay)

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