As the movement to defund police continues to gain momentum across North America, a coalition of more than 20 Montreal community groups are calling for a 50% cut to the police budget in one of Canada’s safest and most over-policed cities. But where would these cuts happen? And how could funding be redirected?
On this episode of “Unpacking the News,” Black Lives Matter Montreal organizer Marlihan Lopez, Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal coordinator Jessica Quijano and Stella executive director Sandra Wesley join host Andre Goulet to discuss what defunding and demilitarizing the police would look like. They also talk about how this process can lead to decolonization and decriminalization, and why redirecting funding and reinvesting in communities are a crucial part of reducing over-policing and police violence in our cities.
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