Statement from Defund2Fund on CPS Anti-Racism Action Committee Selection
The Police Offered to Reallocate $8 Million of their Annual Budget To Communities. Council Said No Thanks.
Yesterday, City Council failed in their promise to tackle systemic racism. Calgary City Council, in a time of fiscal need, ignored calls for police reform from a broad coalition of Calgarians (as well as the Police Chief) and instead voted against Calgary Police Service’s own proposal to fund the Community Safety Investment Framework and instead gave them even more money than they requested.
Last chance to email City Council to let them know you're counting on their vote for the Community Safety Investment Framework!
Now is your last chance to email City Council to make sure that they vote for the Community Safety Investment Framework and provide more funding for our communities.
Email Council Today: Fund the Community Safety Investment Framework
With three days left in budget discussions, we need to keep the pressure on City Council to show that Calgarians support the framework. The vote will be close and every single email makes a difference!
The Root Causes of Crime
By Megan Eichhorn
All Calgarians deserve stable lives where their basic needs are met, and they are provided with a chance to do something meaningful. And the proposed Community Safety Investment Framework, if approved by Council, could provide that support.
Team sports are cancelled but the hypocrisy olympics are in full swing in Alberta
By Peter Oliver
The police budget is the talk of the town, and it should be. There has been plenty of chatter amongst politicians in Calgary and across the province over City Council’s decision to investigate reallocating 5% of the Calgary Police Service budget towards a Community Safety Framework.
Send Council a Message at Budget: Defund the Police and Fund Our Communities
City Hall, November 2020. Photo credit: Jon Yee
We must keep the pressure on the CPS and Council and keep their promise to reallocate the police budget. Register today to speak and submit comments to Council at the budget hearing on November 23.
Bad News: This Isn't Reallocation
Black Lives Matter march in Calgary, June 3, 2020. Photo credit: Jon Yee
On October 14, 2020, the Calgary Police Commission and the Calgary Police Service (CPS) submitted a proposed budget document to Calgary City Council. This budget submission suggests that CPS does not actually intend to honour this commitment to reallocation. We call on Council and CPS to keep their promises and reallocate at least 5% of the existing police budget to the Community Safety Investment Framework.
We fought. We Won. And We’re Not Done.
Black Lives Matter march in Calgary, June 3, 2020. Photo credit: Jon Yee
After intense pressure from the Defund2Fund Coalition, Calgary City Council voted to reallocate 5% of the Calgary Police Service budget to fund a new Community Safety Investment Framework.
Send Council a Message: Support the Community Safety Investment Framework
Black Lives Matter march in Calgary, June 3, 2020. Photo credit: Jon Yee
We call on Calgary City Council to pass this motion to enable City staff to develop a Community Safety Investment Framework. This information is necessary to inform CPS’ commitment to reallocation of a portion of its budget to help Calgarians in crisis during the November budget discussions.
A Modest First Step, But Not the Last
Black Lives Matter march in Calgary, June 3, 2020. Photo credit: Jon Yee
We view Councillor Woolley’s motion for a 5% reduction to the CPS budget to be a modest first step to rebuild trust. We call on Calgary City Council to pass this motion and do more to support our communities.
Where Could the Money Go
By Elle Jay
Black Lives Matter march in Calgary, June 3, 2020. Photo credit: Jon Yee
Which programs could make the best use of the funding transferred from a reduced police budget? The truth is, there is no lack of options when it comes to organizations that could use this money in better, more constructive and safer ways that the police.
What do we want to fund?
Black Lives Matter march in Calgary, June 3, 2020. Photo credit: Jon Yee
The Calgary Police Service (CPS) promised Calgarians to reallocate its resources to develop better ways to respond to vulnerable Calgarians. The CPS’ own data shows that 30% of their calls are to vulnerable Calgarians. It follows that the CPS must reduce its budget by 30% and that these funds should be invested in our communities.
Does the Calgary Police Service think Calgarians are the enemy?
By Joël Laforest
Police ride in military vehicles carrying dehumanizing trinkets celebrating their ability to destroy our lives. We must address this culture of violence by reallocating police funding to instead support community initiatives.
This Essential Documentary Tells the Story of Brutality in the Calgary Police Service
Defunding the Police is not a radical concept. It is an acknowledgment of the role police play in the trauma of marginalized communities. Proof of this trauma is easily found in the CBC documentary Above The Law, airing now on CBC Gem.
If You’ve Been Listening, You Know What Is Just and Necessary
By Courtney Walcott
Defunding is about supporting community needs. It is about attacking the root causes of issues that affect many in our society. Rather than funding a reactive police force, Defund2Fund seeks to build a proactive and resilient community.
So you don’t support defunding the police?
by Megan Eichhorn
Reallocating (a.k.a defunding) the police budget will help to reduce incarceration - which has a disproportionate impact on racialized communities - by utilizing evidence-based social services that address root causes such as mental health, homelessness, poverty, discrimination and more. It will also reduce strain on taxpayer-funded systems such as justice, police and the courts. The concept behind defunding police benefits everyone.
Calgary Defund Coalition Letter to Calgary City Council
by Calgary Defund Coalition
We are not asking for community policing. We are not asking you to create more paternalistic systems. We are calling on you, Calgary City Council, to Defund the Police so you can Fund the Community. This letter represents a coalition of community members, activists, organizers and organizations from Calgary and area in partnership with anti-racism groups from across Alberta.
PETITION: Reallocate the Calgary Police Service Budget and Reinvest in Our Communities Now
by Courtney Walcott
The Defund2Fund Coalition is seeking a 30% reduction to the CPS budget, to be reallocated throughout our communities, to rebuild trust, and to rectify systemic barriers in the financial capacity of Black, Indigenous, other racialized communities and 2SLGBTQ+ people.
