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Looking Back: Democrats Push to Defund the Police

When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time. - Maya Angelou

From the White House to the Speaker's Office, Democrats are scrambling to distance themselves from the slogan they once so proudly championed – ‘Defund the Police.' This was a rallying cry for progressives throughout the last year, but after losing nearly a dozen seats and seeing the latest polling, Democrats are now claiming it was actually Republicans who wanted to defund the police… no, really. We didn't think it was serious either. It's a messaging strategy so distorted and bizarre even the Washington Post gave it 3 Pinocchios.

Who knows how long Democrats will try out this new talking point before shame outweighs their desperation, but in an effort to reach across the aisle, RSC wanted to help our colleagues on the Left get back to reality and stop embarrassing themselves.

We looked for an example of a Republican official calling for defunding or "reimagining" police, but couldn't find anything. Democrats can't say the same - in fact, here are over two dozen examples of when they have:

Take their word for it:

The "defund the police" movement, is one of reimagining the current police system to build an entity that does not violate us, while relocating funds to invest in community services.

Let's be clear, the people who now oppose this, have always opposed calls for systematic change. https://t.co/SEh97GS9hg

— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) June 9, 2020

The defund movement isn't new. Folks are just finally listening. "We got money for wars but can't feed the poor." #HappyBirthdayTupac#DefundPolice#FundCommunities

— Ayanna Pressley (@AyannaPressley) June 16, 2020

I believe we need to protect families who need help, and ICE isn't doing that. It has become a deportation force. We need to separate immigration issues from criminal justice. We need to abolish ICE, start over and build something that actually works. https://t.co/JtSN68k4Fd

— Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) June 29, 2018

Instead of spending $80 billion a year on jails and incarceration, we need to be investing in more jobs and education. One thing is abundantly clear: Every police department violating people's civil rights must be stripped of federal funding. Period.

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) June 4, 2020

When we say #DefundPolice, what we mean is people are dying and we need to invest in people's livelihoods instead.

EXAMPLE: Detroit spent $294 million on police last year, and $9 million on health.

This is systemic oppression in numbers. pic.twitter.com/oPe0GD3D6p

— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) June 4, 2020

Defunding the police is about rebuilding our country in the image of our people — full of humanity, love, and care. Particularly for our kids and schools. https://t.co/vLZGfaidlH

— Jamaal Bowman (@JamaalBowmanNY) February 22, 2021
Another unarmed black man, shot in the back, by a WI police officer! No matter the outrage at the killing of George Floyd by a police officer, knee on his neck, the killing of black men continues. Is this a defiance by the police that indicates they don't intend to stop?
— Maxine Waters (@RepMaxineWaters) August 26, 2020

This is the same Sacramento Police Department that murdered #StephonClark. The leadership of the department, and all of these officers, must be fired. Then, the department must be dismantled and policing reimagined.pic.twitter.com/c8dORCjsKG

— Mondaire Jones (@MondaireJones) August 30, 2020

For those who think spending more on policing works, look at St. Louis.

We spend more per capita on police than 85% of police depts, yet 68% of violent crimes go unsolved. And police kill us at the highest rate in the nation.

Police don't need more money. Our communities do.

— Cori Bush (@CoriBush) June 3, 2021

Defunding the police isn't radical, it's real. https://t.co/wUcTjxqS3w

— Cori Bush (@CoriBush) January 28, 2021

Too many police in our country are more concerned with protecting white supremacy than serving the communities that pay their salaries. https://t.co/yDdUuw0GRv

— Jamaal Bowman (@JamaalBowmanNY) March 17, 2021

An "accidental discharge" that kills someone has another name: manslaughter.

We don't need police with lethal weapons carrying out routine traffic stops.

Re-allocate police funding to unarmed traffic forces to remove even the possibility of state-sanctioned manslaughter. https://t.co/AbZ4NcwCC0

— Jamaal Bowman (@JamaalBowmanNY) April 12, 2021
ICE has kept a 7 year old captive & alone for FOUR MONTHS with no parents around.

This is cruel and unusual punishment. The Eight Amendment strictly prohibits government from acting this way.

THIS is what we need to "shut down until we figure out what's going on." Defund ICE. https://t.co/l47AcpudDZ
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 12, 2018
Defund ICE.

Fund the USPS.
— Rep. Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan) August 15, 2020
Now @VICE reporting that @CBP is sending predator drones over #GeorgeFloyd protests in Minneapolis.

This is what happens when leaders sign blank check after blank check to militarize police, CBP, etc while letting violence go unchecked.

We need answers. And we need to defund. https://t.co/tfBZFRNI9G
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 29, 2020

"But the truth is that abolishing ICE isn't that radical. We reorganize government all the time, creating some agencies and eliminating others. Nevertheless, it is a bold proposal."

It's time to be bold. It's time to #AbolishICE.https://t.co/bSrAg79xLT

— Rep. Mark Pocan (@repmarkpocan) July 2, 2018

Do we really think our local police departments need weapons of war like:

Grenade Launchers?
Bayonets?
Explosives?
Weaponized Drones?

None of these weapons belong on our streets against American civilians.

We must #DemilitarizeThePolice today. It's past time we did.

— Senator Mazie Hirono (@maziehirono) July 21, 2020

The maximum cruelty that ICE inflicts on immigrants is horrifying and must come to an immediate end. It's time to replace this inhumane system with one that treats immigrants with dignity while ending our reliance on detention.https://t.co/4UtxDYmWHB

— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) December 19, 2020

Roughly 1 in 4 fatal police encounters end the life of someone with mental illness, so it's no surprise that this program is saving lives. Sending healthcare professionals—not police—when someone is experiencing a mental health crisis makes our communities safer for all. https://t.co/9FDbAxtGas

— Rep. Katie Porter (@RepKatiePorter) February 8, 2021

We have seen video after video over the last few weeks of peaceful protestors being met with extreme violence from police.

We can't wait. It's time to overhaul our policing system. https://t.co/3PiHshcjMN

— Rep. Barbara Lee (@RepBarbaraLee) June 5, 2020

Today's police forces look more like armies equipped with weapons of war. A fed'l program from the 1990s sends surplus military equipment to NYPD & other police. Today, I've introduced legislation to end this initiative once and for all. #BlackLivesMatter#EndPoliceViolence 1/3 pic.twitter.com/wLmYY6MnH6

— Rep. Nydia Velazquez (@NydiaVelazquez) June 10, 2020

Today's @HouseJudiciary markup will address the reforms needed to hold police accountable, fight systemic racism, & save lives. Watch: https://t.co/mBADi91Dz7

We can & must re-imagine what just policing looks like in our country. #JusticeInPolicingpic.twitter.com/slDCk6N9pk

— Rep. Zoe Lofgren (@RepZoeLofgren) June 17, 2020

We can and must re-imagine what just policing looks like in our country. Today's @HouseJudiciary hearing will address the reforms needed to hold police accountable, fight systemic racism, and save lives. pic.twitter.com/pvusXDrBSm

— David Cicilline (@davidcicilline) June 17, 2020

We must defund Trump's secret police that are currently in Portland and soon may arrive uninvited in other American cities.

I'm in D.C. working around the clock to build support for such a plan.

— Earl Blumenauer (@repblumenauer) July 21, 2020

Police departments across the country have a lot more to do.

We must continue to apply pressure to disrupt the system.

This is how we see results.

— Yvette D. Clarke (@RepYvetteClarke) June 6, 2020
WATCH:
The referenced media source is missing and needs to be re-embedded.

Squad' members Tlaib, Pressley unveil proposal to defund police:

The referenced media source is missing and needs to be re-embedded.

AOC goes in depth on what it means to defund the police

The referenced media source is missing and needs to be re-embedded.

Sen. Kamala Harris Discusses 'Defund The Police' Movement

The referenced media source is missing and needs to be re-embedded.

Supercut: Democrats Support Defunding The Police

The referenced media source is missing and needs to be re-embedded.