Column: Should Hawaii counties defund police? Yes: Give more resources to our communities

Supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement chant, “Defund The Police,” a calling popularized during the George Floyd protests. Defunding the police is paramount for addressing societal problems. The funds available from the reduced police budgets can be redistributed to alternative nonpolicing forms of public safety and community support.

Law enforcement lacks experience in handling societal issues and providing resources for the communities they serve. Officers are often dispatched to deal with homeless people and cause them to be incarcerated at a disproportionate rate, according to a study conducted by researchers at Yale University.

Previous imprisonment, substance abuse, mental illness and inauspicious socio-demographic characteristics were found to be linked with homelessness among prison inmates. Such a finding indicates that there are various important factors alongside efforts to survive with limited resources through illicit acts that influence the rates of penury among incarcerated individuals. Acts of aggression toward those with mental illnesses often end in the death of civilians, like with Elijah McClain, Deborah Danner and Eric Garner.

Reallocating funds to support public safety can be a viable alternative to the police. According to The End of Policing by Alex Vitale, a professor of sociology at Brooklyn College, 60% of law enforcement’s time is spent on activities not related to law enforcement.

However, this role can be occupied by social workers, EMTs, and de-escalation or resolution specialists who will be better able to respond to specific crises than the police. A more comprehensive public budget that would accommodate social services, like mental health, addiction and homelessness, would be a better use of taxpayer money.

It’s important to recognize the disproportionate amount of people being arrested instead of receiving help because of severely underfunded public services. For example, by funding public housing, we can reduce the number of homeless people going into prison and instead improve their lives substantially, especially those with severe mental illnesses.

Community support is also important to address. Marginalized BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) neighborhoods are far more policed than necessary. This further exacerbates the struggles BIPOC individuals face. In his book “Policing Issues: Challenges & Controversies,” Jeffrey Ross, a criminal justice professor at the University of Baltimore, states that the current success of community policing, which primarily focuses on BIPOC low-income neighborhoods, is often exaggerated. Officers police neighborhoods in search of crime that doesn’t exist and punish petty crimes.

When law enforcement stops proactive policing, crime complaints and actual crimes drop. Furthermore, a study conducted by the Law Enforcement Action Partnership explains that in order to produce change and ensure public safety, the morality and overall rules enforced by the police have to be re-examined and adjusted to accommodate communities. A community-led approach would positively impact communities, ensuring behaviors aren’t unnecessarily criminalized.

There are numerous solutions to current issues among the police force. They must admit their wrongs and enact change that will resolve these dangerous actions targeting minorities.

Defunding the police would shift the funds back into communities to combat societal issues by providing individuals with aid and rehabilitation facilities. Defunding would ensure a less aggressive response to these issues and ensure a professional will help resolve the situation without further escalating it.

Community-led initiatives would help ensure that residents’ behaviors are not unnecessarily criminalized and that people will be able to get the help they need to improve their lives and community. With bolstered, adequately funded resources, community members would work together to ascertain, acknowledge and finally act on their distinct community needs.

Aletha Jade Salarda is a student at Radford High School, class of 2022.

“Raise Your Hand,” a monthly column featuring Hawaii’s youth and their perspectives, appears in the Insight section on the first Sunday of each month. It is facilitated by the Center for Tomorrow’s Leaders. CTLhawaii.org