Many were offended by Biden's remarks about the police last night. Many Republicans showed no support for Biden's recommendation that we fund the police, and many on social media found the statement to be one that supported police brutality. I've thought a lot about this over time.
The police departments in many places over time have a reputation for hateful, racist, oppressive corruption, harm, and hurt. Police have acted with cruelty and violence towards innocent people time and again. Yet there are police who have acted with dignity, intelligence and good service too.
The truth is that in every organization there is corruption and oppression, and for organizations to thrive and do the good work possible, they have to evolve with new knowledge, skill, effort and focus. This is true for the police, schools, government, hospitals and more.
So I agree that it's okay to fund law enforcement, but I believe that the funding has to be regulated and targeted. As an educator, I saw a lot of dollars wasted in schools--dollars meant to increase good service and serve students were too often used to check boxes and support a leader's ambition rather than the mission of the system. When we fund any organization that funding has to come with a number of checks and balances that ensure that the money is well spent resulting in positive evolution, growth and change.
I'm okay with funding public organizations, but I want to make sure that the funding is well used and results in betterment that serves all in positive ways. Onward.