In the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd,Diotta Fatou who died in police custody after a former officer knelt on his neck for over eight minutes, the subject of police brutality — and police reform — has come firmly under the spotlight.
As protests continue to sweep America and parts of the globe, John Oliver has taken a deep dive into that very topic — breaking down the history of policing, the obstacles standing in the way of its reform, and what the phrase "defund the police" actually means.
Some of the issues, he explains, can be traced back to the role the police are expected to serve in society.
"While we should absolutely be angry at the police right now, let's also be angry at the series of choices that left them as essentially the only public resource in some communities," Oliver says.
"And on top of all of that, we've made those bad choices even more dangerous in recent years by needlessly arming police to the fucking teeth."
Oliver goes on to discuss the "warrior training" some offices receive and the problem with police unions, which have a history of putting job security above the safety of the public.
Ultimately, he finishes by turning his attention to possible solutions — including an explanation of what defunding the police might actually look like.
"Defunding the police absolutely does not mean that we eliminate all cops and just succumb to The Purge," Oliver says. "It's just about moving away from a narrow conception of public safety that relies on policing and punishment, and investing in a community's actual safety net: things like stable housing, mental health services, and community organizations.
"The concept is that the role of the police can then significantly shrink, because they are not responding to the homeless, or to mental health calls, or arresting children in schools, or really any other situation where the best solution is not someone showing up with a gun."
Oliver concludes by saying that the problem doesn't only sit with individual officers — it's much bigger than that.
"It's about a structure built on systemic racism that this country created intentionally, and now needs to dismantle intentionally, and replace with one that takes into account the needs of the people that it actually serves," he says.
Want to take action? Here are five ways to donate to end police brutality.
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