Former Vice President Joe Biden broke with Black Lives Matter in a statement released Monday by his campaign saying he does not support the nationwide “defund the police” movement that arose following the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer.

“Biden does not believe that police should be defunded. He hears and shares the deep grief and frustration of those calling out for change, and is driven to ensure that justice is done and that we put a stop to this terrible pain,” Biden spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a statement.

It went on to say that Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, supports “the urgent need for reform,” including funding for public schools, summer programs, mental health and substance abuse treatment, “so that officers can focus on the job of policing.”

“This also means funding community policing programs that improve relationships between officers and residents, and provides the training that is needed to avert tragic, unjustifiable deaths,” the statement said.

According to the statement, Biden said funding should be made available so police departments can diversify to “resemble the communities in which they serve.”

He also called for more funding for body cameras.

“There are many police departments across the country who are seeking to realize these kinds of changes, but haven’t had the resources to – and the Trump Administration has in fact made obtaining those resources more difficult. This is at the core of Joe Biden’s plan to bring transformative change to our criminal justice system,” it said.

Protesters and members of Black Lives Matter have been demanding to “defund the police” at the national rallies against Floyd’s killing on May 25.

Trump has called for a “law and order” approach, tweeting this morning, “This year has seen the lowest crime numbers in our Country’s recorded history, and now the Radical Left Democrats want to Defund and Abandon our Police. Sorry, I want LAW & ORDER!”

Source: Read Full Article