By Jeff Charles at Liberty Nation GenZ
The media and the left in general tell us that black Americans want to “defund the police.” But is it true? The story goes that the police are violent against black Americans and that’s the motive behind the defund the police movement. But a recent survey tells a different story.
What Did the Survey Find?
A poll from Gallup asked about the attitudes of black Americans toward law enforcement. Despite the claims of Black Lives Matter, most who answered said they want that the police to stay in their neighborhoods – some even wanted more policing.
From Gallup:
“When asked whether they want the police to spend more time, the same amount of time or less time than they currently do in their area, most Black Americans – 61% – want the police presence to remain the same. This is similar to the 67% of all U.S. adults preferring the status quo, including 71% of White Americans.
Meanwhile, nearly equal proportions of Black Americans say they would like the police to spend more time in their area (20%) as say they’d like them to spend less time there (19%).”
The survey also found that “Black Americans’ reported exposure to local police is slightly above the national average, with 32% saying they see the police often or very often in their neighborhood.” This percentage is ten points higher than that of white participants, but only four points higher than Hispanics.
On the other hand, about 41% of black respondents stated that they see police in their areas only “sometimes,” which is in line with the national average. Another 27% said they “rarely” see law enforcement officers. This means that 68% of black Americans do not see police in their neighborhoods very often.
When it comes to defunding the police, only 22% of African Americans support getting rid of police departments. But it’s worth pointing out that 90% liked the idea of implementing “specific reforms aimed at improving police relations with the communities they serve and preventing or punishing abusive police behavior.”
Black Americans and the Police
While the poll showed that black people aren’t as anti-cop as the left tells us, it still shows that they are not as confident that they would be treated well during interactions with law enforcement. Less than one in five African Americans believe that the police would treat them with “courtesy and respect.”
The results of the study show that while black Americans acknowledge that reforms are needed in law enforcement, they are not on board with the drastic anti-police agenda of the Black Lives Matter organization. African Americans, while cautious of the police, have no desire to banish them from their neighborhoods.
