• After Protests, Politicians Reconsider Police Budgets and Discipline - The New York Times
    https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/08/us/unrest-defund-police.html


    Protesters in Washington painted the phrase “defund the police” onto 16th Street on Saturday night.
    Doug Mills/The New York Times

    After Protests, Politicians Reconsider Police Budgets and Discipline
    Elected officials are exploring changes ranging from defunding police departments to requiring more accountability.

    MINNEAPOLIS — In an abrupt change of course, the mayor of New York vowed to cut the budget of the nation’s largest police force. In Los Angeles, the mayor called for redirecting millions of dollars from policing after protesters gathered outside his home. And in Minneapolis, City Council members pledged to dismantle their police force and completely reinvent how public safety is handled.

    As tens of thousands of people have demonstrated against police violence over the past two weeks, calls have emerged in cities across the country for fundamental changes to American policing.

    • Meanwhile, Joe Biden invente l’eau tiède…

      Biden Walks a Cautious Line as He Opposes Defunding the Police - The New York Times
      https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/08/us/politics/biden-defund-the-police.html


      Joseph R. Biden Jr., the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, has long carefully portrayed himself as both a champion for racial equality and a reliable ally of law enforcement.
      Mark Makela for The New York Times

      As gruesome videos and energetic protests reshape public opinion about racial discrimination, Joe Biden tried to balance protesters’ calls for a law enforcement overhaul while not alienating moderate voters.

      Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. staked out a careful position on Monday in support of a law enforcement overhaul but not defunding police departments, rebutting a new Republican attack line as he tries to harness growing activism against systemic racism while not alienating protesters or more moderate voters.

      In the face of continuing protest marches calling to “defund the police” nationwide in the aftermath of George Floyd’s killing, Mr. Biden’s campaign said in a statement that he “hears and shares the deep grief and frustration of those calling out for change” and that he “supports the urgent need for reform.” But a campaign spokesman, Andrew Bates, said flatly that Mr. Biden was opposed to cutting police funding and believed more spending was necessary to help improve law enforcement and community policing.