Biden: Police changes without stripping funding
ATLANTA — Joe Biden diverged Monday from activists pushing to “defund the police” in the United States, arguing that an overhaul of policing in America can be accomplished within existing law enforcement agencies.
A Biden presidential campaign aide said the Democrat “hears and shares the deep grief and frustration of those calling out for change” after George Floyd’s death by police in Minneapolis refocused the nation’s attention on institutional racism. But spokesman Andrew Bates added that Biden “does not believe that police should be defunded,” as some Minneapolis authorities are pursuing locally and some activists are demanding nationally.
The former vice president was in Houston on Monday to meet privately with Floyd’s family ahead of his funeral.
“Biden supports the urgent need for reform — including funding for public schools, summer programs, and mental health and substance abuse treatment separate from funding for policing — so that officers can focus on the job of policing,” Bates said.
The “defund the police” mantra has gained steam among some protesters and progressive activists since Floyd’s death, potentially complicating Biden’s ability to satisfy a splintered movement demanding differing levels of changes in policing practices. And it highlights a familiar exercise for Biden: trying to appeal to a progressive flank that distrusts him as an establishment politician while not alienating more moderate voters and even some Republicans who don’t want President Donald Trump reelected.
The Republican incumbent, who’s postured as a “law and order” figure and urged federal and state authorities to “dominate” protesters, has seized on the latest dynamics, casting “defund the police” as the official rallying cry for Biden and all Democrats.
Biden’s criminal justice agenda, released long before he became Democrats’ presumptive nominee, includes more federal money for “training that is needed to avert tragic, unjustifiable deaths” and hiring additional officers to ensure that departments are racially and ethnically reflective of the populations they serve.