We endorse #DefundCPD: our statement

The #DefundCPD Campaign is calling to defund the CPD by 75% and to re-invest that money into public schools, public mental health services, housing, jobs and supportive services.

There is a range of ideas in STOP on police reform. Some people believe that it is enough to narrow the job of police so that they are not dealing with mental health crises and domestic violence and that if we do that, we can free up a significant amount of resources which we can reinvest in social services like housing and mental health and jobs. On the other hand some in STOP believe in the complete abolition of police and creating community based alternatives to keeping ourselves safe. Both of these positions can fall under the campaign to Defund the CPD. As an organization we strongly support this campaign and the idea that we spend too much on policing and not nearly enough on housing, healthcare, and the things our communities need.

Our groups' position on police reform is evolving and has moved significantly. Before the George Floyd uprisings we did not have consensus on removing police from schools and reinvesting in restorative alternatives, we were in a process, led by our youth to attempt to develop the consciousness of our members to get agreement on this. We now proudly have the support of all members, including our elders, in the call to remove police from schools and reinvest those resources into restorative justice alternatives. Our youth have been at the forefront of this process doing the work of educating our membership and working through the issues together. As we push further to address the Defund CPD Campaign we are committed to continuing these conversations and to include in these conversations: racial justice, anti-capitalism and abolition. We are committed to  engaging in a process to work through these ideas with our members and our base so that our organization can sharpen its positions and take stronger stands for justice.