Our vision to reimagine safety centers a just three year transition from policing, and oppression to care and freedom.
Defund MPD formed in June 2020 and we are a Black-led multi-racial coalition of people and organizations in DC who share a common vision of a city without prisons and police. In 2020, there were 15,000+ public submissions on FY21 budget, 1,300+ letters of support demanding changes to the Fraternal Order of Police contract, and over 180 days of political education, protest, and street action. We were born out of the 2020 uprising, and although the climax has passed, we are still active, still engaged, still attentive. Our demand is time-bound to three years to encourage longer term investment from our coalition members, elected officials, and community organizations past the 2022 elections and the upcoming announcement of criminal legal reforms in the district. Our prospective goals are as follows:
Goal 1
Reduce the MPD’s budget by 50% ($273M) over the next three years.
Subgoal: Personnel
MPD hiring freeze;
Create a hard cap on overtime;
Encourage/incentivize furloughs and retirement;
Fire officers who violate civil rights;
End paid leave during disciplinary investigation.
Subgoal: Equipment
Ban MPD purchase of military-style, crowd-control and chemical weapons;
Ban MPD purchase of surveillance equipment;
Oversee disposal of existing problematic equipment.
Goal 2
Defund the Police - End Police involvement in community services.
Subgoal
End police contracts with non-emergency services including behavioral health.
Subgoal
Phase out and ultimately end police involvement in emergency response.
Subgoal
Zero police in schools.
Subgoal
End MPD role in traffic enforcement shift this responsibility to DDOT.
Goal 3
Invest in our community - Devote savings from MPD budget to community support.
Subgoal
Invest in non-police crisis 911 response center.
Subgoal
Increase existing funding and expansion for existing programs.
Subgoal
Increase funding for housing of communities in need.
Subgoal
Invest in trauma-informed support inside DCPS and charter schools.
Subgoal
Invest in good jobs and fair wages for DDOT employees.
Subgoal
Invest in a community-driven, alternatives to policing participatory research project.
Goal 4
Pass legislation to protect the community.
Subgoal
Pass legislation limiting police power and ban harmful and unethical police practices.
Subgoal
Pass legislation to end stop and frisk and jump outs.
Subgoal
Pass legislation banning harmful surveillance tools and tactics.
Subgoal
Pass legislation banning all use of chemical weapons under any circumstances.
Subgoal
Pass legislation preventing budget reprogramming for MPD budget overages.
Subgoal
Pass legislation making officers personally liable for lawsuits or settlements under $10k.
Subgoal
Pass legislation removing special treatment for officers who engage in misconduct.
Subgoal
Pass legislation preventing the FOP from interfering in fair discipline*
Subgoal
Decriminalize poverty, drugs, homelessness, sex work and street vending.
Subgoal
Release and protect incarcerated people with serious medical conditions, and address risk of COVID-19.
Goal 5
Call DC officials to lead bravely.
Subgoal
Vote “No” on any police budget increases over the next 3 years.
Subgoal
Give the community a seat at the table*
Subgoal
Pilot and promote community involvement through participatory budgeting.
Subgoal
Pilot and promote programs fostering community control of police surveillance.
Subgoal
Advocate year-round for budget reform.
Subgoal
Make a public commitment to take no police money for constituent services or re-election campaign.
It’s time to transition from policing and oppression to care and freedom.
Our communities deserve safety, accountability, and justice. Join us in reimagining safety and refunding our communities.
