WASHINGTON – The death of George Floyd inspired a movement to defund the police, but as communities across the country face a surge in violent crime, some leaders are rethinking their support of it.
Over a 72-hour period this past weekend, more than 130 people were killed and hundreds wounded in gun-related crimes.
In New Jersey, two people were killed and 12 injured in a shooting at a house party.
In South Carolina, a 14-year-old girl was shot at an outdoor concert, and 14 others were hurt.
And in California, a six-year-old boy was gunned down in a possible road rage incident.
In all, there were 12 mass shootings in 72 hours.
The violence comes as a continuation of an uptick in violent crimes in 2020. From 2019 through 2020, 34 cities saw a spike in homicides. Aggravated assaults and gun assaults rose too.
The White House is trying to frame it as a gun problem that needs more gun control laws.
“I would say certainly there is a gun problem, and that’s something the President would say,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in her Monday briefing. “And that’s one of the reasons the President will continue to advocate for the Senate passing universal background checks.”
Others blame the rise in crime on the movement to defund the police.
Rabbi Abraham Cooper in Los Angeles says lawlessness is on the rise since the city slashed police funding.
“Now, if you don’t have properly trained police and fully funded police, and they’re not around to deal with the behavior, you see very quickly the escalating lawlessness and violence and that’s one of the reasons why we’re particularly on edge because of what’s going on today in the U.S. cities,” said Cooper.
Last year L.A. cut $150 million from police. It’s now increasing its budget for this year to hire 250 more officers.
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