Whitmer Says She Supports the Idea of Defunding the Police then Says Police Need More Funding Hours Later
June 11, 2020During an interview with The Root on Tuesday, Democratic Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said that she supports the "idea" of defunding the police force. Hours later, she backtracked and said that the police force actually needs even more funding.
“It’s really about reprioritizing and rebuilding communities, not just policing,” Gov. Whitmer said during an interview. “You look at budgets and they’re focused on policing — they should be focused on education, transportation, access to health care, access to skills and leveling the playing field.”
***FIGHT BACK Against Liberal Censorship. Download Our Free Trump News App***
“I think you do all those other things, you don’t need all the money that’s going to the police departments. So, yeah, I mean, the spirit of it, I do support that spirit of it,” Whitmer said.
During a separate interview with the Detroit Free Press, Whitmer backtracked and said that she does not support defunding the police and actually thinks the police force should be given more money.
“Perhaps the words that I used on ‘The Root’ were maybe a little confusing, but they have never been other than I support rebuilding communities and rebuilding them in a way that creates real opportunity in an equitable and just manner,” Whitmer said.
“I don’t believe police should be defunded,” she continued. “What I hear from all of my friends who are part of this moment and who are leading on the front lines is we have a real need for greater investment in communities” and “we need to rebuild and level the playing field through better schools and better transportation and access to health care and those are all the critical investments that I absolutely support.”
Former Vice President and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has also done some flip flopping after his campaign saw the recent polling data that showed that only 16% of Americans support defunding the police.
***FREE ‘Keep America Great’ hat - OFFER EXPIRES SOON***
In an op-ed on Wednesday published in the USA Today, Biden announced that instead of defunding the police, a common talking point among progressives, he would be increasing funding to law enforcement across the country if he were elected to be president.
“While I do not believe federal dollars should go to police departments that are violating people’s rights or turning to violence as the first resort, I do not support defunding police,” Biden said in the op-ed. “The better answer is to give police departments the resources they need to implement meaningful reforms, and to condition other federal dollars on completing those reforms.”
“I’ve long been a firm believer in the power of community policing—getting cops out of their cruisers and building relationships with the people and the communities they are there to serve and protect. That’s why I’m proposing an additional $300 million to reinvigorate community policing in our country,” he continued.
“And, we need to prevent 911 calls in scenarios where police should not be our first responders. That means making serious investments in mental health services, drug treatment, and prevention programs, and services for people experiencing homelessness,” Biden added.
***FIGHT BACK Against Liberal Censorship. Download Our Free Trump News App***
What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below!
Source: https://trendingpolitics.com/