Defund police? Politicians should forget about that
The radical campaign to defund and weaken local police departments is gaining steam in Pennsylvania — and that’s a worrying sign for anyone who cares about the future of the Keystone State. Instead of denouncing the dangerous calls to defund local law enforcement, many
Pennsylvania lawmakers and politicians have already turned their backs on communities whose residents are in desperate need of protection.
This capitulation traces back to the early days of the ongoing civil unrest in Pennsylvania, when elected officials refused to protect local businesses from hoards of roaming criminals. Raging riots in cities such as Philadelphia even gained national attention, prompting the Trump administration to pressure state and local politicians to act.
In late May, President Trump tweeted: “Law & Order in Philadelphia, NOW! They are looting stores” and urged authorities to “call in our great National Guard” in order to take control of the streets.
Days later, Vice President Mike Pence issued a similar warning to Pennsylvania, underscoring the importance of law and order in local communities.
“The president and I will continue to urge the governors, like Governor Wolf, to call up the National Guard, deploy them to the streets and in a strong and decisive manner to restore order. The American people expect nothing less,” he said at the time.
As a Pennsylvania native, I was horrified to witness the aftermath of these violent riots. I also couldn’t believe that our elected officials were so willing to abandon the people of Pennsylvania in their time of need.
Sadly, this pattern of callousness continues to this day. Instead of investing in a police department that demonstrably needs support, the Philadelphia City Council recently agreed to cut police funding by a whopping $33 million — a desperate attempt to appease radical protesters who are waging a war on law and order at the expense of hard working, lawabiding citizens.
As I explain in my new book, “Trump and the American Future: Solving the Great Problems of Our Time,” America has arrived at a pivotal point in our history. We have a real opportunity to improve relations between minority communities and police through reasonable criminal justice reform that supports and modernizes — not demonizes — law enforcement. Positive change can and should happen without riots, murder, looting and lawlessness — especially in America.
Luckily, President Trump is providing a strong example on the national level. His recent executive order on police reform strikes a perfect balance between supporting law enforcement and changing outdated police protocols.
“Americans believe we must support the brave men and women in blue who police our streets and keep us safe,” the president said while signing the order. “Americans also believe we must improve accountability, increase transparency, and invest more resources in police training, recruiting, and community engagement.”
Over the past several weeks, Democrats in Pennsylvania and other states have demonstrated that they would rather play politics ahead of the upcoming presidential election than protect the lives and property of their constituents. This partisan posturing is nothing but an obstacle to meaningful police reform.
If our country tolerates lawlessness, then lawabiding citizens will suffer most — and that is the last thing the people of Pennsylvania would ever want.