Americans are deeply troubled by the sadistic killing of George Floyd, but theyre also worried about the nationwide protests. According to a recent Wall Street Journal/NBC News survey, 80 percent of those who were polled think the country is spiraling out of control. This is an unsustainable situation. People want justice for Mr Floyd, but they also want an end to the turmoil. How will this will play out politically? No one knows for sure, but its clear that the progressive push to defund the police is only throwing more gas on the fire.
Defunding the police is not an issue the Democratic Party supports, in fact, theyd like to sweep the whole thing under the rug pronto. But grassroots activists are not that easily placated. Theyre not interested in the Democrats half-loaf reforms, they want a whole new system that eliminates traditional policing altogether. They want to revolutionize the way that communities deal with public safety issues even if it puts citizens at greater risk. Check out this brief exchange between the president of Minneapoliss City Council, Lisa Bender, and CNNs Chris Cuomo on Monday: