An online petition demanding the Tucson Police Department be disbanded and its funds reallocated toward housing, mental health services and other community resources has gained over 9,000 supporters during its first day. The petition is planned to be submitted to city officials in advance of the City Council budget hearing today at 4:30 p.m., and then again tomorrow at 11:30 a.m.
The petition demands that Mayor Regina Romero and Tucson’s City Council members pledge to four actions: “1) Enact an immediate hiring freeze for Tucson Police Department. 2) Implement a permanent moratorium on increases to police funding. 3) Defund and disband TPD and reallocate funds toward housing, resources for houseless people, mental wellness, and other community resources. 4) Immediately create a process for the people of Tucson to have a greater decision making power in how funds are allocated from here forward, or in other words, significant community participation in the city’s budget.”
This comes only one day after the majority of the Minneapolis City Council pledged to disband their police department and “invest in community-led public safety.” Minneapolis is only one of hundreds of cities throughout the nation currently under pressure from protesters calling for police abolition and civil rights for Black communities, Indigenous communities and communities of color.
DefundTPD argues that the already-existing reductions to the TPD budget by more than $15 million for fiscal year 2020/2021 “are not enough,” and says Tucsonans deserve an “approach to public safety and the distribution of public funds that centers Tucsonans’ own voices, needs, desires for a thriving future.”
The petition can be read at defundTPD.com
This article appears in Jun 4-10, 2020.
I really hopes this passes and they defund TPD. And when all hell breaks loose, you’ll be on your own.
Garbage
Does that mean that people with weapons will control the city. With no police we won’t need a mayor or council. We can be just like Somalia !
Sounds good! The police have too much money and control in Tucson. Defunding the police is about allocating resources elsewhere, not getting rid of the pd.
Let’s see, so far we’ve got one commenter that understands how things work, and three members of Hannity’s Discount Prescription Club.
Before taking a position against this please do some legit research on A.) What defunding actually means and what disbanding means, and also B.) The actual causes of crime and the impact that police DON’T have on reducing crime, and finally C.) The impact that the measures called for here (social and community programs, addressing low wages, joblessness and homelessness, and adopting sensible, harm-reductionist drug policy) DO have on reducing crime
This will not turn Tucson into some kind of Mad Max wasteland like some people seem to imagine. Too many movies folks, not enough history. 🙄
Yeah, just what we need – less police protection. Are you people nuts?!!!!
Yes they are nuts and so were we to elect democrats. They will replace police with armed combatants of their own. The charter requires police protection so when they violate the charter the governor will step in.
Hillary’s loss has made them crazy. What was their plan if she would have won?
Democrats who run tucson can replace police with volunteer anti-fascist/racist people’s militia who can hunt down fascist and racist enemies of the people. I would gladly volunteer to be arizona’s commissar for justice if needed.
Go for it . . . and, lo and behold, your 2nd ammendment rights. Be prepared to embrace them and thank President Trump for protecting them for you . You will certainly be needing them. Bear Arms, defend yourselves, your family and your country !!!!
The naked fear in this thread is really something. Do yourselves a favor and lay off the FOX, people. Theyre making bank off your terror.
Not one single right wing commentor on this or any other site I’ve been on has the slightest concept of what this even means. Here’s a clue. Look up Camden, NJ, where they disbanded the entire police department and rebuilt it from scratch. Worked very well to solve many problems, like got rid of bad officers. Defunding means allocating resources differently.
Why not start by naming one bad officer in Tucson rather than tearing them all down? This is a socialist power grab during an impeachment/pandemic/Riot.
Third world type. I am so ashamed of liberals. It will backfire like most of their utopian schemes.
Put down the crack pipes.
TPD is great and is a leader in the nation in reducing police violence against the public. I’m glad they do come when I call.
That said, the way policing is done needs complete rethinking. Policing as it’s currently done does very little to reduce crime or improve public safety. Evidence-based techniques should be applied to achieve the goal of the police: the safety and security of the public in their persons and property.
You wouldn’t call a plumber to provide mental health services, nor would you call an exterminator to provide social services. Why would you call the police to do either of those things, and yet somehow over the last four decades money has been defunded from these essential services, services found in other developed western nations. When you send a law enforcement system to solve mental health or social service problems for society, you get criminal outcomes which only aggravate, or in some instances actually purposelessly and destructively create, the social problems and exasperate latent historical inequities in a society seeking long overdue progress. Furthermore, the police have become a political tool of division and this in intolerable.
Recall Mayor and Council unless they turn away from antifa.
Part of the problem with both education and police forces are the unions who protect those that shouldn’t be protected.
Tucson already has experience with a greatly diminished police force. TPD went on strike for six days back in 1976. Only a few PCSO units and the Parks Guards were available for emergency response. Granted, the demographics and politics were quite different back then, but just FWIW, crime did not soar and blood did not run in the streets.
For the gentleman who noted Camden, NJ. Are these the stats you are referring too ? https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/nj/camde…
Here are Tucson stats from the same Site.
https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/az/tucso…
Let’s remember that after decriminalizing certain crimes (like gas drive outs and beer and run types) and then drug possession, and then sanctuary city status we experienced a major drop in crime between 2010 and 2016. That’s because they quit calling them crimes, stopped investigating them and stopped reporting them.
The victims are proof positive that these are still crimes. The rest are hidden from sight.
Don’t be stupid. They think you are.
MSW, 1: Amazingly, your site does not have a single date or time period on it. Not one single indicator of when this was, or for how long a time. I find that more than a little unusual. Here’s an article that does have dates and time frames. Gee, it looks so different.
https://www.citylab.com/equity/2018/01/wha…
If you click on source and methodology on the page I cited, they give you the information you requested. Source is from the FBI 2018 and came out in 2019. I’m not trying to argue with you, just giving stats. I agree there is always room for improvement and we should discuss possible options for reform in a calm manner from all angles In order to reach the best possible outcome for our community and for those men and women who have sworn to keep us safe. Hopefully that very thing happened at today’s meeting and we can make progress toward a safer community for all.
We need this bill to pass. Tucson need more money spent on repaving the city neighborhoods the city neighborhood haven’t been repaved in over 20 years are longer. 73 percent have went in neglect.
Then we can dump the Fire Department and have lighted sidewalks. Next we could close the Water and Sewer departments and there could be free ice cream on Fridays.
Grow up. Many of you should have been spanked as children.
Road repair money was wasted in many other areas just take a look at the budget.
Can we still sign the petition to recall the Mayor or is it closed off?
To Johnc: can you provide legit research? Look I don’t believe anything that comes out of a politicians mouth, but I did do my research and found statistics and facts.
This Major must go!!! This is total BS. We need more Police you idiots!
The children said no adults allowed in our Tree House!! Then one by one they began infighting amongst each other saying they have rights and claims to the parts of the Tree House that no others have..They fought and argued about their position till violence ensued..then the laws of the Jungle prevailed were the strongest took advantage of the weak….Then the Children realized it was getting dark and they had no food or proper accommodations..someone was killed by a altercation…who will now be judge and jury to decide what punishment must issued to the violater..They all agreed eye for an eye, but the punishment was to harsh, so they tied him up and made him sit in the corner indefinitely…then they ran out of food and water cause the Adults had left them alone…in the end they realized it takes a lot more than good ideas to make good government.. Moral of the story Law and order are more than just words…
It’s amazing that so many sheep exist in such a great country… Those masks are cutting off your oxygen and impairing your ability to think clearly… I’ve got a better idea move out of your parents house and go get a fucking job!!!