The policing institutions in our country are deeply entrenched in racism and brutality, and we cannot allow it to continue. These inherently systemic issues require immediate and permanent solutions. That requires a bold reimagining of the role police play in our society: It is time to divest from law enforcement and reinvest in the Black and Brown communities they unjustly target.
The ACLU is urgently committing to this broader, more profound fight – which groups like Movement for Black Lives have been leading – and we need grassroots supporters like you to help achieve its critical goals. Please add your name today in support of this vision and to receive further details and actions on how you can take part.
Our plan for a new vision of 21st century policing will work to support Black- and Brown-led community organizations to implement a sweeping three-part formula:
- Prohibiting police from enforcing a range of non-serious offenses, including issuing fines, and making arrests for non-dangerous behaviors, eliminating many of the unnecessary interactions between the police and community members that have led to so much violence and so many deaths;
- Reinvesting savings from the current policing budgets into alternatives to policing that will keep local communities safe and help them thrive;
- Implementing common-sense, iron-clad legal constraints, and other protections on the rare instances in which police officers do interact with community members.
