I Read the above linked article this morning. I had mixed emotions about Carmen Best's decision to leave the SPD. However, after reading this article, I think I am glad she left. The part of the article that stood out to me the most was that Donald Trump said he was "sad to see her go" and William Barr said, :..Her leadership and demonstrated commitment to her oath of office reflected all that is good about America's law enforcement." Statements of support from two people that many believe are avowed racists. Do I believe we should defund the police by 50%? Well, I will say those who appose it are scared Shi@#$less of everything...from being robbed, to someone breaking into their beautiful home, to anything that might cause them to have to defend themselves or do anything that might remotely look like standing up for themselves physically. If you are so scary that you think defunding the police is going to give someone a chance to rob you as you go to Safeway, buy a gun and learn how to use it properly. If you are scared of a physical confrontation, learn how to defend yourself and stop being a pu$$y! The BLM movement was (among other things) about police brutality and the state-sanctioned killing of unarmed black and brown men and women. Why the hell would I as a black man want more police on my block if that is what might happen to me??? Maybe some of you white folks are just a little too comfortable in your white privilege. I've read studies that show the more police you put in a predominantly black neighborhood, the more illegal arrests and police brutality occurs. Is that because them niggers are just running wild in the Hood committing crimes and doing general thuggery? That is exactly what a lot of white people think is going on. Hyper-Fear is what is really behind the argument not to defund the police. Many whites fear anything that might cause them a little discomfort. America freaked out when the unemployment rate hit 14% because of Covid-19. Black folks have been living with an unemployment rate of almost 16% for the last 50 years! How uncomfortable do you white folks think that made us? There are a lot of things that blacks experience almost daily that make us uncomfortable - that white people never have and never will experience. Community Policing and Social Services working together has always been a good idea - at least for poor and minority communities. It's working in other places. We simply must stop the police from treating mental illness situations as a criminal matter. and we must also stop the police from treating black people like animals. It is my guess that those who don't want to defund the SPD are the same ones who, deep down, believe George Floyd probably in some way deserved what he got, just like all the other blacks who were brutalized, shot and killed by the police. They must have been doing SOMETHING wrong, right?