I never saw a bond election I didn’t like – until now. For the Nov. 7 special election in Phoenix, Question 2 is to fund libraries, parks, and historic preservation. Question 3 is to fund education, economic development, arts and culture, and reduce waste. Question 4 is to fund affordable housing and senior centers. All good and voting yes.
The problem is Question 1 to fund police, fire, road, and pedestrian infrastructure. This is the largest request of $214 million compared to $108 million for neighborhoods, $114 million for education and development, and $163 million for affordable housing. It’s too bad they are lumped together because I support fire, road, and pedestrian infrastructure but not the police.
Despite the federal Department of Justice still investigating the Phoenix Police, the Phoenix police continue to be one of the most violent and deadly police in the country.
One cannot fail to notice that Phoenix rate of murder at 75 is almost twice that of the nearest city in 2022. The 2023 count is setting up to rival that of 2022 despite the DOJ watching them. They continue to murder African Americans and Latinx with impunity. The oversight board has been knee capped by the state legislature. Nothing seems to move the city council to exercise control over the department. The police union was successful in defeating Carlos Garcia, their most ardent critic in the city council. A former police officer, Kevin Robinson who carried the water for the Phoenix PD for years, is also on the council.
Now here we are again – asking for more money for the Phoenix police to hire more officers to occupy more communities, surveil more citizens, and abuse more people of color. The bond #1 is requesting $214 million but taxpayers already pay for the misconduct of Phoenix police officers through the many lawsuits filed and won for their violent behavior.
The courts won’t control the police; the city council won’t control the police; and the police clearly cannot control themselves – nor do they want to. It is once again on the citizens to control the police. We must rethink and reconfigure the police. They should not be warriors but helpers. The current police structure derived from slave patrols, the KKK, and anti-union thugs. Failure to control our police and make them community partners rather than community invaders moves us closer to authoritarian rule. Until the police are under control and acting within the law, they should not receive one more dime. Please vote NO on Bond #1.
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What you describe is civilization and it has been going on for decades. Defund the police is a lot more than that and everyone knows it. Nice spin though.
And you still won’t do the work. SMH.
You won’t take the time to learn the facts, you just swallow whatever load Hannity is serving.
Lazy lil’ racist, ain’t cha’?
Good for you, and so brave to post such a useless, ignorant, but embarrassing to you comment.
RaicesTexasDotOrg
In his defense why should he bother with doing the work? His only professional expense is new knee pads for comfortably servicing his corporate donors.
“Defund the police” is a phrase made up by conservatives..
On the other hand, a culture change in baby steps at police agencies is needed – first step – stop killing unarmed civilians.
I will not comment on your statement that the police are an occupying force that abuses people. That’s just political rhetoric that is untrue. However, I would like to comment on your statement about the origins of the Phoenix police. You said, “The current police structure derived from slave patrols, the KKK, and anti-union thugs.” That is not true.
While it is true that many southern police forces evolved out of the slave patrols and that many big northern cities were involved with union-busting activities mainly in the 1800s and early 1900s, the Phoenix police are a western department that grew out of local sheriff’s and US marshal’s departments. There were no slave patrols in Phoenix, or Arizona for that matter, or any organized anti-union activity. However, the police may have, at times, arrested picketers if they broke the law, but that is not the type of organized union busting that took place back east.
PS The police department in northern cities did not evolve out of the slave patrols either. They grew out of the British policing organizations in the colonies, like the night watch.
“I will not comment on your statement that the police are an occupying force that abuses people. That’s just political rhetoric that is untrue.”
Yes Johnny, I’m sure all the unarmed non-white people who have been senselessly murdered by police like George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and countless others would be happy to agree with you.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_unarmed_African_Americans_killed_by_law_enforcement_officers_in_the_United_States
You’ve been asked this before and haven’t bothered answering but how many already handcuffed suspects did you bravely beat when you were a Port Authority cop?
It is my understanding that these bond funds are to go to build buildings or repair buildings (infrastructure), not to hire people. While I was on one of the bond committees, I have to say that this presentation to the public is not as adequate without reading the pamphlet that was mailed to registered voters. In there you will see on pages 11 & 16 more details.
The detailed information I got showed they planned to hire more police with some of it. I would support the fire stations etc., but not hiring more police or even improving their infrastructure that will only bring more sophisticated weapons to be used against people.
So if in the middle of the night, God forbid, somebody breaks into your house or if somebody attacks you, “Who you going to call? Ghostbusters?”
Almost all the libs who during BLM called for defundting the police reversed their positions, as crime rose. Why are you endangering Phoenix residents.
You do not understand what defund the police actually means.
You are not intellectually curious enough to look it up.
80% of what cops do has nothing to do with crime. I watched a Phoenix cop spend 90 minutes writing up a report for a minor fender bender.
He kept mixing up the two drivers names on the paperwork, more than a few times.
So he wasn’t the brightest bulb, but we also didn’t need a guy making 90+ a year and armed to to teeth to write up that report.
We dump all kinds of things onto the cops, homelessness, mentally ill folks, trash in the road, and directing traffic must be fun.
Defunding the police is an unfortunate turn of phrase, but it doesn’t mean no police, it means let the cops do police work and let other people trained to actually help deal with other issues.
I really, really wish you were smarter, John Government Checks Kavanagh, because as a troll you’re predictable and boring AF.