Georgia Governor Brian Kemp (R) is saying no to defunding the police. Last week, Governor Kemp signed a bill to make it illegal for cities and counties to make massive cuts to their police budgets. The bill states cities and counties are prohibited from reducing their police budgets by more than five percent over the course of five years.
According to reports, Kemp said the reason in which he signed this bill into law was because of “radical movements”.
Organizations like Black Lives Matter touted the phrase “Defund the Police” throughout 2020, as many activists and advocates demanded an end to white supremacy and systemic injustice within law enforcement across the nation. In 2020 we saw the high-profile police involved killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, two unarmed African-Americans. Defunding the police is one way that some activists believe will help cut down on police brutality against minorities.
However, Governor Kemp completely opposes the idea and will not allow any of the police departments in his state to be defunded. “Radical movements like the ‘defund the police’ movement seek to vilify the men and women who leave their families every day and put their lives on the line to protect all Georgians. This far-left movement will endanger our communities and our law enforcement officers and leave our most vulnerable at risk,” Governor Kemp said according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Some who oppose the bill say Kemp has taken the power away from local governments and their decision-making as it pertains to what’s best for their community and how to spend their money, as the AJC reported.