Will County Gazette

Defund the police?

Delete the idea.

That’s the view of George Fontana, a Plainfield resident and a Republican precinct committeeperson. Fontana has seen the outrage over the death of George Floyd caused by Minneapolis police officers on May 25.

He has followed the news reports of demands for major changes in policing, including sharp cuts in funding for police departments. 

The Chicago Police Department has a $1.6 billion annual budget, and some activists say much of that money could be better spent elsewhere.

“I have only one thing to say here: This stuff is too damned stupid to even waste anyone's time on,” Fontana told Will County Gazette. “Anyone, and I say this fervently and without hesitation, who would even consider advancing such nonsensical ideas with the expectation of a serious discussion is a delusional idiot but more accurately, a Marxist communist revolutionary morphed out of the same radical groups with international connections that existed in the 1970s.”

Critics of police agencies have said they would prefer investments in rent relief, mental health clinics, COVID-19 testing and providing personal protective equipment to healthcare workers. Opponents of the idea say it is the wrong conclusion to draw from George’s death.

A June 5 rally in Union Park featured speakers calling for the police to be defunded and demilitarized, and for police and the National Guard to stand down and let peaceful protests continue without oversight. Following the rally, marchers moved through Near West Side and West Town.

Ironically, the same police they were criticizing accompanied them on the march to ensure order and safety.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is opposed to defunding the Chicago Police Department, as she explained in a statement.

“Since the onset of these events, Mayor Lightfoot and Superintendent [David] Brown have been unequivocally resolute that police misconduct of any kind will not be tolerated and those found committing wrongdoing will be held fully accountable,” she said. “Just as the overwhelming majority of protests remained peaceful this week, the vast majority of officers followed their training and supervisor direction during these difficult times. Nonetheless, we will continue to vigorously investigate all reports of excessive force arising from this week.”

Lightfoot has looked into police conduct before. In 2015, she was named president of the Chicago Police Board and oversaw the Chicago Police Accountability Task Force.

In 2016, the panel released a report noting that “racism and systemic failures in the city's police force, validating complaints made for years by African-American residents,” did exist.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel said the report would be studied and some of its recommendations imposed.

Fontana said he has heard such talk before. He said this is an old story that must not be forgotten, as outside forces seek to weaken America.

“What we are witnessing right now is a replay of history,” Fontana said. “If you are old enough, as I am, to have lived through that time, you can come to no other conclusion. This is exactly the same process being played out today except the USSR is not the major international player in this role now, China is.”