The death of George Floyd set off a wave of protests against police brutality, which have spread far from Minneapolis and continue long after this …
The death of George Floyd set off a wave of protests against police brutality, which have spread far from Minneapolis and continue long after this tragedy. Naturally, these protests prompted calls for reform, aiming to prevent such deaths in the future. Some popular proposals, such as prohibiting chokeholds and creating a federal registry of brutality complaints, are earnest, and even sensible, but extreme measures to “abolish” or “defund” the police have made the most noise in the discourse.
Though it has gained traction in the media and on social networks, the idea of doing away with or defunding the police is broadly unpopular elsewhere. A recent HuffPost/YouGov poll suggests that less than a third of Americans are open to defunding the police. The poll’s breakdown of support across demographics is even more interesting: Less than a third of both black and white respondents support the proposal. These policies don’t appeal to any more than a quarter of people without college degrees. By contrast, the most highly educated are markedly more supportive: 43% of post-graduate degree holders are pro-defunding. Those who are under 30 are the most supportive age group. Out of all the demographics surveyed, self-described liberals are the only group where support of defunding overwhelms opposition.
This data paints a vivid picture of a would-be defunder. He or she may well be a college student, but is just as likely to be a well-educated, affluent and “woke” young professional — a denizen of D. C.’s Capitol Hill or Brooklyn’s Williamsburg. Basically, the archetypal up-and-comers who congregate in expensive downtowns and trendy suburbs across this country. Their values are often as cosmopolitan as their lifestyles: They disdain or show disinterest toward marriage and family formation.
