Reform Virginia

In light of the social unrest experienced around the country this year, Virginia has taken steps for the call to action.  Measures have been enacted to ensure that every Virginian has equal justice.

Across the country there have been rallies held by members in support of Back the Blue, and rallies to Defund the Police.  These are two very different groups, with very different views.  Do you know the differences? Do you know the significance of either movement?

Back the Blue is a movement to support the men and women that put on a uniform to protect their communities. Back the Blue is symbolized by a black and white American flag with a thin blue line.  The thin blue line is recognized as a way to honor and support members of law enforcement.  At a rally in Philadelphia, Vice President Pence confirmed that the current administration had no intent of defunding the police.  Instead defunding the police, the plan is to afford more resources to law enforcement.

Defund the Police is a movement with mixed meanings.  Some are taking the phrase to heart and think it literally means to abolish and/or dismantle police departments all together.  But a little research will reveal that is not the movements’ intent.  Defund the Police actually means to limit the resources available to the police.  It does not mean withdraw funds altogether.  The movement was established as a call to reduce funding to police departments and redistributed to other essential programs.  One example would be to increase funding to social service programs needed to address issues of mental illness.  Many of the unwarranted killings of unarmed men and women stem from issues of mental illness.  There have been many reports of police responding to mental health situations that they are not equipped or trained to handle. When police respond to these situations, the situation often escalates, becomes violent or some form of aggression ensues, which in turn causes the responding officer(s) to draw their guns and fire.  Those in favor of defunding the police want more training and resources available to support those suffering from mental illness and an impaired mental state.

In August, rallies were held in Richmond, Virginia as the Virginia Senate and Virginia House of Delegates were preparing for special legislative sessions. There were representatives for Back the Blue and Defund the Police.

In September the Virginia Senate passed a police reform package https://richmond.com/news/local/this-is-just-the-beginning-protesters-gather-in-richmond-as-virginia-lawmakers-convene-for-special/article_b9ea535a-227a-5234-870f-ac5e59689377.html that included measures to address excessive force administered by police officers, specifically those used for crowd control during violent and non-violent protests.  The criminal justice reform bill became Virginia Law after it was signed by Governor Ralph Northam in October 2020.