By far the strongest argument for defunding the police is the degree to which in many major cities ostensibly “progressive” mayors seem entirely unwilling or else unable to rein in what increasing feels like a police rebellion in America.

There’s the utter fecklessness of mayors like Ted Wheeler in Portland and Muriel Bowser in DC and the full-on embrace of a police state by Lori Lightfoot. And that doesn’t even get near this kind of thing which feels more like an attempted coup. https://twitter.com/Taniel/status/1301687935683776512?s=20

And how should we understand this? Just wild. The MO legislature made it so the STL police chief could strip the twice elected black, female, progressive DA of St. Louis of her right to prosecute homicides. Oh, and the law only applies to St. Louis. https://twitter.com/StLouisAmerican/status/1301668345167720448?s=20

And again, what the word for this is? It feels something from the Reconstruction Era – a coup of sorts. The unprecedented state takeover of a local municipal function because the state doesn’t like the choices of the elected leaders of the municipality. https://twitter.com/jsmccullou/status/1301887946426068992?s=20

There is an ongoing police riot in America. https://twitter.com/spekulation/status/1301944484582715392