Last summer, the murder of George Floyd by police officer Derek Chauvin sparked a protest movement calling for justice, racial equality and reformation of the entire law enforcement system.
The slogan "Defund the Police" became increasingly popular as many progressives sought to dramatically alter citizens' relationship with authority figures seemingly above the law.
The movement has continued, with some pundits calling for large swaths of the American police system to be replaced with specialized non-violent professionals for things like wellness checks and conflict resolution with children.
Of course, any proposal that includes taking money away from traditional policing has been met with harsh criticism and fear-mongering from conservatives. Republican Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana recently appeared on Fox News and suggested that if a "Defund the Police" supporter was in trouble, they should "call a meth head."
"I've said it before. If you hate cops just because they're cops, then feel free to call a criminal, call a meth head, the next time you get in trouble."
Twitter users weren't surprised Kennedy, who has made many other controversial comments about policing and racial justice, would choose to make this comment during a discussion on the murders of people of color.
Surely there should be an option somewhere between "police" and "meth head" to call if one is in need.
Kennedy went on to say:
"If you support defunding the police, you have tested positive for stupid."
Kennedy also said the media "have a narrative and they only want to cherry-pick and pick instances which show cops at their worst."
"I mean, I do not accept, nor do I think most Americans accept, that most cops are bad people, or racist. They don't get up every day and go into work hoping they can hurt somebody. Most of them get up every day and hope they can themselves come back home alive."
Many people online pointed out Kennedy was either purposefully or accidentally misrepresenting many liberals' argument even "good" police officers are part of a system that devalues and disregards Black and brown lives.
A system can be broken even when some of the people operating within it have the best intentions.
There were some Twitter users who felt Kennedy's argument didn't hold water even if taken at face value.
Kennedy's comments aren't likely to win him any fans on the left, but there are many American conservatives who still balk at the idea of taking any money away from police officers, who some see as the only thing separating society from lawlessness.
Of course, those conservative Americans, often White, rarely need to fear being unjustly killed by the police for minor violations or while unarmed and innocent of any infraction.
@kileywrestling/Bluesky
