The US movement to abolish the police

In the wake of the George Floyd protests, calls for abolishing or defunding the police are gaining momentum.

Defund the police

Defund, reform or abolish police departments – those are the growing calls among some US protesters.

Already, the ideas are taking hold, as the Minneapolis City Council pledged to dismantle its police department this week. Why is this movement gaining traction?

The Take went to Minneapolis, Minnesota to find out from novelist Raphael Johnson. We also speak to Kami Chavis, director of the Criminal Justice Program at Wake Forest University and Simone Weichselbaum, a writer at The Marshall Project.

For more:

Mapping US police killings of Black Americans

US Democrats in Congress propose extensive police reforms

Police forces across US promise reform

The team:

Amy Walters produced this episode with Priyanka Tilve, Ney Alvarez, Dina Kesbeh, Alexandra Locke and Malika Bilal. Natalia Aldana is the engagement producer. Alex Roldan is the sound designer. Stacey Samuel is The Take‘s executive producer, and Graelyn Brashear is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.

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Source: Al Jazeera