Texas Scorecard By Jacob Asmussen July 29, 2020
Austin Council Members Want to Defund Local Police and Demolish Their Headquarters
“Nothing is more symbolic of recent efforts to defund the police than this scheme to demolish Austin Police Headquarters.â€After recent riots swept the nation and left behind a trail of burned cities, destroyed livelihoods, and murdered citizens, Austin City Council members are now pushing to significantly defund local police and even demolish their headquarters.
This week, three councilmembers—two Democrats and one self-proclaimed Democratic Socialist—proposed cutting out various parts of the Austin Police Department, with the stated goal of ultimately removing at least $100 million, a quarter of the budget, from the already understaffed force.
In the initial proposed city budget for next year, City Manager Spencer Cronk cut 100 vacant sworn police positions and delayed the July 2020 cadet class, but now councilmembers are adding in their own ideas. Councilmembers Leslie Pool and Socialist Greg Casar proposed cuts that include removing money from previously scheduled police cadet classes, closing the police academy for a year, cutting the department’s overtime budget, and cutting the bomb squad’s budget.
The council would take most of the money and spend it elsewhere on social services, and Casar said when the council finishes coming up with all of their police cuts, “we can reach an over $100 million change in the police budget toward progressive change.â€
Councilmember Jimmy Flannigan, however, took his colleagues’ ideas even further—saying they should also demolish the police building downtown.
More:
https://texasscorecard.com/local/austin-council-members-want-to-defund-local-police-and-demolish-their-headquarters/