Why Defund The Police SUCKED: A HARD Lesson In Messaging!

Intro the power of a single phrase can make or break a movement so we are going to break down one of the most controversial slogans in recent history defund the police and how it became a lesson in the art of messaging to do that though we need a hard dose of reality here the slogan because that's what it is let's not lose sight of that defund the police sucks from a strategic point of view politics is all about messaging a good message will make you and a bad one will break you plain and simple bad messages are used against you and will haunt you like crazy a good message has your opposition on the back foot scrambling to try and counteract your killer statement defending their values justify their existence but this one has been unintentionally divisive and confusing for a lot of people ask yourself when you heard defund the police for the first time what conversation happened in your head I think it's a science term fellas esoteric means delicious something like surely they don't mean getting rid of all police right like most of them are [ __ ] but what if I ever needed them for something when you have people on your own side questioning your message like this it's game over I'm sorry game over man it's game over the [ __ ] are we going to do now what are we going to do but that is not what it's about it The problem with 'defund the police' does not mean get rid of police who protect us from murderers and rapists it's about reducing Reliance on law enforcement and diverting that funding to other social programs that reduce the need to have police constantly on the beat harassing citizens see that that was hard to listen to that was being on the defense of a slogan and importantly it took a bit of explaining to unravel the intent behind what defund the police really is if you have to explain a slogan are you ready your slogan sucks we need to be conscious of this trap as revolutionaries it's a trap we rely on good messaging to get our ideas to the masses to enact real change that's why this is such a good case study what happened with this slogan is that conservative influencers and thinkers were able to weaponize it big time against the movement itself against black lives matter and the left generally with this slogan and people's innate hesitation over whether it means taking away essential services that could lead to Danger violence and even death right-wing commentators and politicians were like see the left are weak on crime they hate Law and Order and they want to make it easy for criminals now you're probably thinking well that was 2020 so who cares it's Why 'defund the police' is relevant again over but this slogan is important again and will gain traction because of the 2024 US presidential race Camala Harris the Democrat presidential candidate previously spoke out in support of defunding the police when it came up following George Floyd's murder at the heads of a cop now she will be badgered by Republicans due to her stance on this slogan throughout the race because they know it's generally divisive she has already had to come out publicly and retract what she said previously and that now she supports law enforcement her opponents have her right where they want her backtracking and we should take note of this damaging effect when it comes to messaging to be fair the slogan defund the police didn't even come from Party politics it emerged as an idea from Grassroots activists who were typically pissed off black and marginalized communities that were truly being systematically targeted and harassed by police in areas across the US and who out of frustration really questioned if anything good comes from the police so sure sure yes some people are actually calling for the eradication of the police as an institution because of Decades of racially motivated police brutality and injustices but for most others the fund the police was about redirecting public money to develop new and more stable relations between law enforcement and communities which Americans desperately [ __ ] need let's be honest here it was well after its creation that the slogan was t on to the Democratic Party Machine many party members and politicians took it on officially or unofficially because it had momentum with their voters but since Examples of where the police were defunded then it's been used against them and the history of its real implementation since 2020 has been sketchy at best here are three examples after the killing of George Floyd in 2020 in Minneapolis the city council initially voted to dismantle the the police department however by 2021 amid Rising crime rates the city approved a significant increase in the police budget adding more funding to hire additional officers and improve public safety measures in 2020 New York City cut approximately $1 billion from its police budget reallocating funds to Social Services however in 2021 and 22 some of these funds were restored due to increasing concerns over crime with the city investing in more policing resources and initiatives to combat violence similarly Los Angeles reduced its police budget in 2020 as part of broader calls for reform however by 2022 the city increased funding for the LAPD citing the need to address Rising crime rates and ensure Public Safety so where the defunding had happened according to the mainstream media sources that is it was reversed within a year or two this The consequence of a poor message isn't just a policy reversal it's a betrayal of communities that have suffered under Decades of police brutality and systematic Injustice imagine the frustration of those who for a brief moment saw hope in a movement that promised real change only to see that hope snap hatched away as the narrative shifted to increased crime and Public Safety the emotional toll on these communities is insane their cries for justice were drowned out by fearmongering leaving them feeling even more alienated and distrustful of the system this is why our messaging needs to be Rock Solid so we don't inadvertently contribute to the disillusionment of those we aim to support this whole situation has been a bad outcome Americans desperately need to fix the problems of their law enforcement the entire world knows this but the slogan has been Twisted by conservatives and now people can't have a much needed conversation about this critical issue without some [ __ ] saying yeah well you just support increasing crime and this will come back to haunt Cala if she doesn't play well we will see how she goes on this topic as we head further into the presidential race but the lesson is clear a good The Lesson for politics messaging message will be cleared and should not do damage to your side Camala was sympathetic to the movement but now she's reneged she had to because the slogan wasn't strong enough to stand on its own it's been corrupted by conservative think tanks who have turned defund the police an idea with honest intentions into a Battleground on who's soft on crime and who is going to make you and your family less safe the horse has bolted on this one but we need better messaging in activist culture to ensure we do not hurt our causes I hope that was helpful if you like this video please subscribe for more and share sh this with someone who you think needs to hear it remember I am you are we are a mystery