Policing is Racist With their origins as slave patrols and paid strikebreakers, the very nature of policing is rooted in upholding racial & class hierarchies. In 2020, they have killed 897 people, and while Black people make up 13% of the population, they have been 28% of those killed by police. Despite many cycles of reforms, the problem persists to this day, with story after story of police officers caught belonging to some of America’s most egregious white supremacy groups. | ![]() |
OPD’s Budget Since 2011, the Olympia PD’s budget has increased by 67%, although calls for their service have only increased by 7%. Collecting $1.1 million in overtime in 2019 alone, more is spent on Olympia’s police department than Public Works, Parks, Arts, Recreation, Community planning & development, and general government combined. |
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Police Don’t Keep Us Safe In Thurston County, there are more calls for mental health and welfare checks than 29 other call types combined. Why do we send armed police officers to deal with these situations? Even when it comes to violent crime, the Olympia Police department solved only 45% of it’s cases in 2019 - and that number is on the decline. |
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The Blueprint to Defunding
Cut OPD Budget
We’ve identified line-items that should be immediately removed from OPDs budget, and where applicable, offered solutions in their place.
Read moreReinvest in Community
Using money saved from OPD budget cuts, reinvest in alternatives to public safety. This process will be led by those most affected by inadequate policing: our community members of color.
Read moreIncrease Accountability
At the same time, we need immediate stop-gap measures to increase police accountability, such as a civilian accountability review board, mandating that officers live in the areas they police, and many others.
Read moreWhat does defunding the police mean?
How will we stay safe without a police department?
What about reforms? Isn’t it just a few bad apples?