Stacey Abrams says debate over defunding police is creating a "false choice"
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Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams (D) said on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday that the defunding the police debate has drawn people into a "false choice idea."
Why it matters: The movement to defund or abolish police departments pushed by progressive activists has captured headlines in the wake of George Floyd's killing, but prominent Democrats — including Joe Biden and House Majority Whip James Clyburn — have voiced opposition.
What they're saying: "What happened yesterday to Rayshard Brooks was a function of excessive force. A decision that they were either embarrassed or panicked led them to murder a man they knew only had a taser in his hand," Abrams said.
- "We know that the murder of Breonna Taylor means we have to reform no knock warrants. We know that in the state of Georgia we have to look at the larger judicial issue go the fact that people can use citizen arrest laws to murder men like Ahmaud Arbery in the streets so reformation is absolutely important."
- “We have to have a transformation of how we view the role of law enforcement, how we view the construct of public safety, and how we invest not only in the work that we need them to do to protect us but the work that we need to do to protect and build our communities. And that’s the conversation we’re having: We’ll use different language to describe it, but fundamentally we must have reformation and transformation.”
Go deeper: Atlanta police officer fired after fatally shooting Rayshard Brooks
