Almost a year ago, the roaring chants echoed in the streets: Defund the police! Abolish the police! The tide of public opinion spurred some of the nation’s more liberal cities into action. Los Angeles cut $150 million from its police department budget, New York City pledged to shift $1 billion from its police department to social services, and the Minneapolis City Council removed the requirement for a police department from its city charter. But in Southern states—home to the nation’s largest Black population—the pattern has been one of strengthening police departments in rural communities. This has been true even in towns led by liberal Black city officials, bringing into sharp relief the urgent need to protect some of the nation’s most vulnerable citizens—Black rural Southern folks.
In Columbus, Mississippi, a town of fewer than 25,000 residents, Mayor Robert Smith, a Black man, has bolstered police power and surveillance to address violent crime. In a recent public address, he announced that he was launching the Concerned Citizens Crime Prevention Task Force, the fourth such task force during his 12-year tenure as mayor. Task Force members include the heads of the city and county police departments, Chief Fred Shelton and Captain Brian Turner, both Black men.
Read Full Article »