Americans Explain Why They Oppose Abolishing The Police

Mike Partida (Engraver)

“If I get mugged, I need to call someone who can show up afterward and tell me it was a damn shame.”

Greta Wright (Illustrator)

“Even if we got rid of the police, we’d still have to replace them with some other unaccountable domestic paramilitary outfit.”

Jeremy Wilson (Dentist)

“Instead of abolishing, let’s focus on sending police unlimited funds for training that will absolutely never take place.”

E.J. Gibson (Bartender)

“I’m white.”

Frank Caruso (Watch Maker)

It’s a slippery slope to everyone surviving routine traffic stops.

Natalie Reese (Retired)

“Who else was going to hire my idiot son?”

Sophia Riley (Nurse)

“What are we supposed to give all of their budget to? Education? Mental health services? Community outreach? Healthcare? Childcare? Housing? Rent relief? Food assistance? Infrastructure?”

Nancy Diaz (Administrative Assistant)

“Police officers are the only ones brave enough to put their lives on the line to protect us every day they feel like it.”

Rebecca Chang (Teacher)

“If cops weren’t regularly sending kids to jail for low-level marijuana charges, I’d have to deal with like 20 more students.”

Phoebe Sorensen (Physical Therapist Aide)

“My husband’s a cop, and I prefer that he take all his rage out on other people.”

Lawrence Moreno (Hospital CEO)

“They pass along so many clients our way, it just wouldn’t make good business sense to oppose them.”

Meryl Block (Paralegal)

“And, what, send even more money to social services?”

Jerome Tate (Office Manager)

“If a bad guy harms me, I want someone to apprehend either them or someone else who vaguely looks like them.”

Trumaine Giles (Tech Investor)

“Videos of police brutality get a lot of engagement online.”

Nate Bradbury (Bank Manager)

“Because it’ll make the five hours I’ve already been waiting for them to show up a complete waste of time.”

James Chastain (Realtor)

“It’s a slippery slope. Once we abolish the police, we’ll start abolishing things like police shootings, police gangs, and police corruption.”

Frank Dennis (Plumber)

“I like how the sirens go ‘woo, woo, woo.’”

Dan Pierson (Payroll Clerk)

“Suicide by social worker is gonna be a lot harder than suicide by cop.”

Heather Veloso (Uber Driver)

“If we abolish the police, only criminals will have police.”

Jennie Cylin (Forklift Operator)

“Then who will villains easily beat up before fighting the movie’s superhero?”

Ronald Martin (Animal Torturer)

“I hope to become one someday.”

Kathleen Hurt (Retired)

“And what? Delete my entire ‘Back The Blue’ Pinterest board just like that?”

Cody Sanko (Unemployed)

“I don’t think anything should be abolished. Policing, slavery, you name it.”