Police Funding Up, Community Safety Measures Down:

This budget goes against public health best practices that tell us to invest in social determinant-focused programs like affordable housing, quality health services, food security, and after-school programs, We must loudly reject this proposal to save lives and keep institutional thugs off our streets. A deep dive into the Columbus 2025 public safety budget reveals potential consequences for community health and safety, link here.

Rising Police Budget: 

The city plans to increase the Division of Police's budget to $397.6 million in 2025, up from $390.5 million in 2024 (page 9). This boost includes $2.9 million earmarked for overtime, equipment, and community engagement tools and $504,000 for cadet programs to diversify the police force. The budget also maintains 1,937 police officers despite a forecasted departure of 90 officers this year. Investments in technology see $840,000 set aside for ShotSpotter technology that Israel has used against Palestinians and in Detroit to criminalize Black and Brown communities. There is also an additional $2.9 million for body-worn cameras (page 4).

Dwindling Community Initiatives:

In contrast, funding for community-focused safety programs sees a sharp decline. The Comprehensive Neighborhood Safety Strategy faces a downgrade from $1.9 million in 2024 to just $640,000 in 2025 (page 11). Furthermore, community programs, previously supported with $34.9 million, now fall to $3.1 million, signaling a shift away from community support initiatives. Though the support services division experiences a slight uptick, from $27.3 million to $25.5 million, crucial community-oriented services remain affected (page 9).

Conclusion: 

The proposed budget for Columbus in 2025 outlines a trend of increased funding for police operations and technology while simultaneously cutting essential funding for community safety programs and neighborhood initiatives. It is concerning and even foolish to place programs for community wellness and public accountability with law enforcement who have been charged with committing egregious acts, including violence against women, child pornography, selling hard drugs, framing small businesses, obstructing a federal investigation, and domestic abuse, to name a few barrels of rotten apples. 

This political embezzlement by the Columbus City Council suggests prioritizing police brutality over community engagement strategies addressing underlying social issues. The misplaced trust in the “terrorists in blue” has already cost the taxpayers $21.5 million between 2018-2023 in settlements against the police. Why should the public continue the insanity of the legacy of slave/human traffickers when science and common sense say investing in our social determinants of health prevents crimes and keeps us safe from state violence? 

The thin blue line must be the color of lust for our public dollars and desire to harm communities just trying to survive. These budget shifts prevent community wellness, rob us of our health, and put bullets in our children. Police departments all over the country and here in Columbus have proven to be dysfunctional thrones that leech public funds to empower thugs with badges to terrorize communities and protect the 1 percent. We have what we need to improve our communities right now. We don’t need to give more money to the domestic terrorists called the police, but we do need to stop and defund domestic terrorism and end the harm against our communities. These streets are our streets!

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Charles Abernathy is not from the left nor the right but from the political bottom -- the oppressed. I was raised on food stamps, the Palestinian Jew named Jesus, and an immigrant mother with a thick accent. He is a proud Black Filipino Queer and inspiring abolitionist activist and writer who uses his experience, curiosities, and imagination to contribute what he can to our collective liberation.
Email: fromthepoliticalbottom@gmail.com