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Defund and disarm the Police

I am a poor person of colour who lives in a policed neighbourhood. I have never seen the police prevent a crime or be of any actual use. Their presence does not protect us or make us safe. It simply makes us uncomfortable and plants the false idea that our neighbourhood is full of criminals. This also creates a negative stigma around poor people that allows other people to ostracize us.

If you are unsure of where to cut police funding, I would suggest starting with removing police officers who are present in poor neighbourhoods for no reason. I have been berated and followed by a police officer simply for not smiling and saying "hi" back to him when he said "hello" to me from his unmarked vehicle. When he saw my parents a few feet away, he verbally attacked them, criticized their parenting skills, and called me names. There is absolutely no need to spend money on aggressive and sensitive officers whose sole purpose is to harass people.

Increasing police spending and investing in "reform" has been proven not to work, repeatedly. There is no need to waste our money on things that do not benefit anyone. Please redirect police funds to things that have been proven to increase community and personal safety, such as: affordable housing, food security, and accessible mental health services. Thank you.

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