Defunding police does not mean eliminating all police. It means putting funds into other services better suited to handle the complexities of life which comprise the majority of 911 calls.
This young man suffered from a mental health episode and his family called for help to calm things down. They did not call with the expectation that Daniel Prude would be harmed, much less killed. Law enforcement officers are not trained, nor are they equipped, to handle much of what we ask them to do. Guns and choke-holds are not needed to deal with a situation that requires an understanding of mental illness.
We must fund social services and we need to value a masters degree as much as we value a badge. There are many ways to help our loved ones during a crisis; killing them is not one. It is purely a lack of imagination that causes us to have police respond in every single situation with their weapons and force.
To recognize this issue is not to devalue police but to understand their appropriate role. It is to also value the many other areas of expertise that exist. It is to value human life.
You can read more about the murder of Daniel Prude in the LA Times article here.
