The claim made by Republicans, that myself and other Democrats signed a pledge to defund the police is a complete and utter lie. WRAL’s article says it best,
“The pledge doesn’t even mention law enforcement, let alone cutting police budgets.”
I support law enforcement officers who put their lives on the line every day and do an outstanding job protecting and serving all citizens. The vast majority of law enforcement officers are in this category, and I respect them greatly.
Over the past decade, Republicans have defunded mental health services, education, family services and even the attorney general’s office. While Republicans cut spending to state services that would take a burden off the work our law enforcement officers do, they have asked more and more of law enforcement. That is a disgrace. Make no mistake about it, the lies pushed by Republicans aren’t just meant to distract us from issues like education and healthcare, they are meant to hide their own abysmal record on law enforcement funding.