Whitmer Wednesday: Whitmer Joined The “Defund The Police” Bandwagon 

Whitmer Joined The “Defund The Police” Bandwagon 

WHITMER JOINED THE DEFUND THE POLICE BANDWAGON

• In 2020, Whitmer admitted that she agreed with the “spirit” of defunding the police when asked about the Minneapolis City Council’s decision to defund the police.
  • Minneapolis City Council member Jeremiah Ellison “blankly said” that “This council is going to dismantle this police department”
  • VIDEO: QUESTION: “So do you support the defunding, because for example in Minneapolis, they’re – the Minneapolis City Council is proposing to redo what policing is but specifically, would you be somewhat in support of defunding movement which is to take money specifically from police departments and to put them into education for example.” WHITMER: “I think you do all those other things, you don’t need all the money that’s going to the police departments. So yeah, I mean the spirit of it, I do support that spirit of it.
• Whitmer signed a bill which slashed jail time for “low-level” offenses which added “a presumption of sentence other than jail for most misdemeanors and certain felonies.”
• Whitmer supported ending qualified immunity for police officers which would subject them to personal lawsuits on the job.
  • Whitmer: “I think that is something we need to look at. This blanket immunity feeds into the notion that there aren’t consequences. I think there’s something that makes sense in that space.”
• Whitmer also advocated for unsealing more police records for the public to “scrutinize” police officers’ decisions.
  • Whitmer: “I want to learn more about it, but my inclination is absolutely. I think it’s important for the public to be able to scrutinize authority. If you have a gun and a badge, you should be held to a higher standard.”
• Whitmer rejected an $80 million police funding plan introduced by Michigan House Republicans and replied with a more scaled down $32 million plan.
• In 2019, Whitmer vetoed $13 million in funding for the Michigan State Police’s secondary road program which supported rural communities’ efforts to keep their roads safe from drunk and reckless drivers.
  • This cut 119 road patrol officer positions which were tasked with patrolling county and local roads for reckless and impaired drivers.
  • In 2018, road patrol officers under this program pulled over 1,182 impaired drivers and made 5,664 criminal arrests.

POLICE OFFICERS’ MORALE IS LOW

• Oakland County Sherriff Bouchard: “We’re in a profession that’s under attack.”
  • Sheriff Bouchard said his Department is being sued after officers returned fire on a man who shot about 30 rounds at his officers.
• Police officers are being burnt out and morale is low.
  • Recruiters cannot find young people to sign up to be a police officer.
  • In 2021, Lansing Police Chief Daryl Green resigned citing political tensions in the aftermath of the 2020 riots and blamed the defund the police narratives.
• The number of law enforcement officers in the Michigan decreased in 2020.
• Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Michael Warren said slashing jail time has backfired.
  • Judge Warren: “The word on the street has gotten around. Probationers know they don’t have to comply (with some probation terms) because there won’t be any punishment.”

MICHIGAN IS LESS SAFE UNDER WHITMER

• Whitmer’s words and actions contributed to the crime wave sweeping across Michigan and left our police demoralized.
• The violent crime rate in Michigan rose 8.98 percent in 2020, nearly twice the rate increase nationally of 4.65 percent.
• In 2018, Michigan ranked 14th in the violent crime rate in the nation. Under just two years of Whitmer’s leadership Michigan rose to the 10th most violent state in the union in 2020.
• Violent crime has been increasing across Michigan. In 2020:
  • Violent crime in Saginaw increased by 44.9 percent.
  • Violent crime in Lansing increased by 28.7 percent.
  • Violent crime in Flint increased by 25.2 percent.
  • Violent crime in Kalamazoo increased by 13.7 percent.
  • Violent crime in Grand Rapids increased by 11.5 percent.
  • Violent crime in Detroit increased by 10.25 percent.
• In 2020, rioters attacked and vandalized the police headquarters in Grand Rapids and caused police officers to retreat from their cruisers.
  • In Lansing, rioters overturned a vehicle and set fires causing thousands of dollars in damages in downtown Lansing – even vandalizing the Romney building.
  • After the riots in Grand Rapids and Lansing, Whitmer took a knee with BLM protesters.

VOTERS WANT MORE POLICING OF CRIME IN THEIR COMMUNITIES

• Clearly, Whitmer is spooked by recent election data showing overwhelming support for the police and wants you to forget her past rhetoric on defunding the police.
• Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin campaigned on increasing funding for police.
• Voters in Seattle elected Republican Ann Davison, who ran on a law-and-order platform to city attorney who defeated an activist candidate who wanted to abolish the police and refuse prosecution of “low-level” crimes.
• Minneapolis voters rejected by a 13-point margin a ballot question which would have abolished the police department and created a Department of Public Safety.
• Even, New York City Democrats selected Eric Adams, a former police officer as their candidate for Mayor who opposed the defund the police movement in New York.
• In July 2021, A USA Today/Suffolk University/Detroit Free Press poll found that by a 9:1 margin, voters reported that they feel safer with more police on the street than fewer.
  • The slogan “Defund the police” was rejected by a 3:1 margin.
• Democrat Strategist James Carville tied Republican gains in Virginia and New Jersey to “stupid wokeness” and “defund the police lunacy.”

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