I’ve watched with dismay and frankly a good bit of anger at the growing calls across the country to defund the police.
I find it absurd at best to even propose such a thought. I understand that there have been abuses in certain police departments and terrible things have happened. I also understand that the police are called when there is a crime being committed. They get to see society at its very worst. Not just once in awhile, but on a daily basis. It might behoove us to ask why are the police dealing with the same demographic on a regular basis. It might have less to do with racism and more to do with a failure of society to accept responsibility for our actions that lead to the ongoing poverty and crime that require a response from the police. Government can’t fix this problem, and eliminating the police will only exacerbate the trouble many poorer neighborhoods experience. It’s time for everyone to step up to the plate and accept personal responsibility for their actions and start abiding by the golden rule — remember ? Treat others as you would like to be treated. One final thought, for those who want to defund the police departments around the country, please publish your address so the criminals will know where to go, because they won’t have to worry about any cops showing up.
Tom Botts,
Hoonah
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