Resurfaced footage from 2020 shows then-Senator Kamala Harris expressing her support for the “defund the police” movement that came to prominence in the wake of George Floyd’s death. Following Joe Biden’s dropping out of the 2024 presidential race and subsequent endorsement of Kamala Harris, the vice president has come under increased scrutiny.
Harris has been slammed for her progressive attitudes toward criminal justice, such as supporting the “defund the police” movement, which sought to strip police departments of their necessary resources to enforce the rule of law. Harris previously spoke to the “Ebro in the Morning!” radio show on New York City-based HOT 97, where she stated, “This whole movement is about rightly saying we need to take a look at these budgets and figure out whether it reflects the right priorities.”
During a June 9, 2020 broadcast on the radio show, Harris said, “Defund the police, the issue behind it is that we need to reimagine how we are creating safety. And when you have many cities that have one third of their entire city budget focused on policing, we know that is not the smart way and the best way or the right way to achieve safety.”
Harris further stated during the show, “For too long, the status quo thinking has been, you get more safety by putting more cops on the street. Well, that’s wrong. Because by the way, if you want to look at upper middle-class suburban neighborhoods, they don’t have that patrol car. They don’t have those police walking those streets. But what they do have? They have well-funded schools. What they do have is homeownership, high homeownership rates. What they do have are thriving small businesses. What they do have is access to public health and mental health services.”
The now-Vice President suggested that budgets should be reevaluated in the local police departments. “So, this whole movement is about rightly saying we need to take a look at these budgets and figure out whether it reflects the right priorities. When, today in America, two thirds of our public school teachers are coming out of their own back pocket to help pay for school supplies when we have, for generations now, been defunding public schools but yet militarizing police departments, we need to have this conversation. And critically examine and understand that this is not working. It’s not working,” she said.
Harris emphasized that the issue should not just be a “conversation,” but rather something that leftists take substantive action toward. “This is an important conversation and not just a conversation — ’cause to your earlier point, it can’t just be about talk.”
She continued, “It has to be about forcing change. And this is why, you know, I was out there with folks and any movement, any progress we have gained has been because people took to the streets. And that is what we are seeing today and what gives me a sense of hope is that people who seemingly have nothing in common understand they have this in common and are marching together.”
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Watch Harris’ comments from 2020 below: