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Originally posted by Horace:

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as hard as we may try, at some level we in the majority will never "get it."

Right this is what I'm talking about. Armed with that belief, there is no reasonable way to have an opinion that differs from the oppressed. As I worded it originally, a majority person who believes this way is 'supposed' to say whatever the oppressed people say. Because the majority person is incapable of understanding the issues sufficiently to have their own opinion.

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Originally posted by dolmansaxlil:
The “majority person” is supposed to listen to voices that have been marginalized and believe them when they share their experiences.

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Originally posted by Piano*Dad:
Why do you presume they would change their minds on the basis of polling information of this sort? That presumes that the "white liberal" activists have the welfare of lower-income people in high-crime (often minority) areas as their #1 priority.

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Originally posted by Piano*Dad:
I would venture an alternative and much more cynical idea. That activists often have their own interests in focus. Not that they don't care about their supposed charges, but maintaining their own power may exert an important tug on what they say and advocate. Maintaining that power/authority might not be perfectly correlated, or even highly correlated, with the measured interests of the black community.

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Originally posted by Nina:
I agree, "defund" the police is a stupid, stupid title for what is essentially a call for more training, a more diverse suite of responses, a recognition that part of the role of the police should be to protect and serve communities.

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Originally posted by Cindysphinx:
I think there are two problems.

First, officers treat blacks with tremendous disrespect. This has nothing to do with defunding. The problems range from speaking rudely, treating people as though they are used to police interactions and so aren't entitled to an explanation and don't have rights that must be respected, and blacks are inherently dangerous. Stopping these behaviors will not let criminals run free.

Second, officers will have to stop displaying the sMe values of a street gang. This loyalty no matter what attitude, a toxic culture where those who do the wrong thing run the show, where scores are settled with a beating . . . It's a problem because good officers are afraid to speak up.

Diverting police resources is a separate issue.

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FWIW I was simply suggesting a less uncharitable interpretation for Horace's conclusion.