Many of those who are calling to defund, to cut budget, to abolish the police force have their own security detail, bodyguards, and security to guard their property. Having no police force will not make them less secured.
The ordinary citizen’s security force is the police. When there is a problem, who do you call? The nearby Police station. The call to abolish or defund the police is the latest absurdity displayed by people who either have an agenda to destabilize and/or destroy our society’s order or, they are unable to think through an idea or a thought.
Now, the Conference of Jewish Affairs (CJA) calls for:
DEFEND, Don’t Defund the Police!
We are grateful for the bravery and sacrifice of our men and women in blue.
We call for a nationwide outpouring of people of conscience to show support for our country’s police and first responders.
We condemn Antifa, Black Lives Matter (BLM) violent behavior against police and innocent people, and property.
For Immediate Release
Thursday, June 11, 2020 – Conference of Jewish Affairs (CJA) spokesman Rabbi Aryeh Spero made the following statement today:
“We at the Conference of Jewish Affairs are appalled, deeply saddened, and angered by the wanton destruction that rioters across the country have wrought in recent weeks. We are witnessing in these last three weeks a frightening reign of terror.
“Those who appreciate and respect our police and first responders strenuously reject the irresponsible, dangerous calls to defund and disband our nation’s police departments. We appreciate the police, we respect the badge they wear, and we need fully funded police departments to help protect the lives of people of all races and background across America.
“Many celebrities, companies, political spokesmen, and organizations think that Black Lives Matters’ cause is exclusive and thus more important than the dignity of our institutions and safety of individuals. They think that loyalty to racial equality means a need to overturn America, her institutions, and much of our population. They feel that smearing and physically attacking police officers, and calling for police departments to be defunded and disbanded, will bring justice. They are wrong. Disbanding our police will bring further violence and chaos to our nation.
“Justice must be justice for all,” stated Rabbi Aryeh Spero, “and justice is not limited to one area or group only. It is a false claim that support for justice for George Floyd requires that injustices being perpetrated now by the rioters are to be overlooked. Our fear is that such selectivity implies an actual indifference to the suffering of those who do not fall within the politicized and intersectional claimants in today’s ‘victimhood’ arena.”
“The presence of ANTIFA and other Marxists, the leadership role of ‘civil riots leader’ Al Sharpton, the presence of the Nation of Islam, and the continuing violence against Americans of all races – reportedly organized and funded by far Left individuals and groups — all warrant our strong concern.
“We profoundly disagree with the assertion being promoted by many in the media, the Democrat Party, and corporations that America is a country filled with systemic and institutional racism. This statement is deliberately misleading, it is false and wrong. While any police brutality must be rooted out, and, yes, there is racism in America and other parts of the world by individuals, those who are honest and live among the American people know that in today’s America racism is not systemic or institutional.”
Rabbi Spero added: “Virtually every American was revolted by the horror of what was done to George Floyd. The perpetrators are being brought to justice. But we also firmly believe that the overwhelming majority of our police force are men and women of courage, devoted to their job and honor their duty to society. We support them, as we similarly support America, our history, past courageous heroes, and the good-willed people of America.”
“Leaders and organizations that make such a broad, indiscriminate charge against the police, fellow Americans, and America itself, as being systemically and institutionally racist are expressing a nefarious form of bigotry against the American people and America. Equally alarming, they are fanning the flames of division at a time when we need unity and are inciting further discontent and rioting by the bitterness of their rhetoric.”
“Out of over 800,000 sworn law enforcement officers, in 2019 there were only 10 incidents where police overreaction led to a fatality, whereas 135 police officers were killed in the line of duty. In 2018, 58,866 assaults against law enforcement resulted in 18,005 police injuries.”
DEFEND, don’t defund the police is the only way forward.
To contact: Rabbi Aryeh Spero (212) 252-6861
