defunding the police their police departments or reducing officers from their respective forces. City legislators in Austin, Texas, unan-imously voted to slash a full one-third ($150 million) from its police budget. Seattle’s city council approved a $3.5 million police budget cut that prompted the resignation of the city’s first Black police chief, Carmen Best. Embattled Seattle Mayor, Jenny Durkan, facing a potential recall, later vetoed council’s actions. New York and Los Angeles moved quickly after E — − T he summer of lawlessness in communities throughout the country has segued into the season of choice. Which do you choose: the radical movement to defund police departments, or the rule of law? Orga-nized left-wing violence and chaos, or public safety and the protection of our civil rights? Forbes magazine reported that as of this writing, 13 other cities have joined Minneapolis in cutting spending for the initial protests over the death of George Floyd began, collectively cutting police funding by $1.15 billion. In northern California, San Francisco approved a massive $120 million cut for the police and sheriff’s depart-ments, while neighboring Oakland joined in with a $14.6 million decrease. Washington, DC, and Baltimore, sepa-rated by a little more than 40 miles and with a Census Bureau combined statistical area population estimated continued on page 16 14 • AMAC Magazine
AMAC Magazine October 2020: Page 14
