Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), a top Democrat in the House of Representatives, voiced his disapproval for efforts to defund the police, but said he envisions a change in policing.
“I would simply say, as I have always said, nobody is going to defund the police,” Clyburn, the House majority whip, said during an appearance June 14 on CNNs “State of the Union.”
“We can restructure the police forces, restructure, reimagine policing. That is what we are going to do. The fact of the matter is, the police have a role to play. What we have got to do is make sure that their role is one that meets the times, one that responds to these communities that they operate in.”
Calls to defund the police, or cut funding for police departments, have risen in some circles, but a number of top lawmakers from both parties said they dont approve of the efforts even as they support varying levels of law enforcement reform.
Clyburn, 79, said he didnt fear police when he was growing up, but now he does.
“The fact of the matter is, this is a structure that has been developed that we have got to deconstruct. So, I wouldnt say defund. Deconstruct our policing,” he said.
Democratic elected officials in Minneapolis, where a black man, George Floyd, died in police custody last month, are moving toward completely replacing the citys police department.
The Minneapolis City Council on June 12 passed a veto-proof resolution to pursue replacing its police department with a “community-led public safety system.”
