PHOENIX (AP) - The leader of Phoenix’s police union said the movement to defund or reduce funding for law enforcement agencies is based on the erroneous and unfair belief that all officers are violent and racist.
Britt London, president of the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association, expressed frustration Friday over the scrutiny that officers across the nation are getting as a result of the May 25 death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis.
London said he understands the pain and frustration people feel over Floyd’s death, which came after a white officer pressed his knee on the neck of Floyd, who is black, for more than eight minutes. But London said upstanding officers shouldn’t have to face false assumptions that they’re racist.
“Phoenix is not Minnesota,” London said. “We’re not Minneapolis. That incident occurred 1,200 miles away. You can’t blame everyone for that incident.”
Over the last week, Phoenix and other communities have faced calls from critics to disband police agencies or redirect funding from law enforcement operations to community development programs.
Joel Cornejo, a leader of the Tempe-based human rights group Semillas and a proponent of abolishing police departments, said people don’t have time to wait for police culture to change. Cornejo said officers take the wrong approach to their jobs.
“They don’t care about the feelings of the community,” Cornejo said. “They only care about protecting their business.”
Over the last two weeks, thousands of demonstrators have been gathering regularly in downtown Phoenix to protest police brutality.
Demonstrators focused on the May 25 death of Dion Johnson, a black man who was fatally shot during an encounter with an Arizona Department of Safety officer along a freeway.
Johnson’s funeral was held Friday. Johnson’s mother, Erma, delivered an emotional tribute to her son and said she’ll never get over her his death. “He was my everything,” she said.
Authorities say the officer noticed Dion Johnson passed out in a car and removed a gun from the vehicle, but Johnson grabbed the officer, leading to a struggle during which the officer took out his gun and ordered Johnson to follow his commands.
Investigators say Johnson did so until the officer was putting his gun back into the holster, then Johnson grabbed for it and the officer opened fire.
Democratic state Rep. Reginald Bolding has asked the U.S. Justice Department to review the case for possible civil rights violations.
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