Michigan Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib said she is done with the police in the United States and has called for "no more policing, incarceration, and militarization" following the killing of Daunte Wright by a police officer. Tlaib, who is a member of the liberal 'Squad' and had in the past voiced support of defunding law enforcement, tweeted on Monday called policing "racist" in the United States.
Wright's death has been ruled a homicide. However, the Police Chief has been trying to defend the officer, Kimberly Potter, who mistook her gun for taser, by calling the incident an accident. Wright's death has sparked demonstrations in Minneapolis once again, with protesters calling for end of police atrocities.
Hitting It Hard
Tlaib took to Twitter on Monday to once again bring up the long-debated issue of defunding the police that gathered steam following the death of George Floyd and the subsequent protests. "It wasn't an accident. Policing in our country is inherently & intentionally racist," she wrote.
"Daunte Wright was met with aggression & violence. I am done with those who condone government funded murder. No more policing, incarceration, and militarization. It can't be reformed," she further wrote.
Tlaib's tweet went viral as people gathered for a second night of protests in Brooklyn Center in response to the fatal police shooting of Wright, 20, during a traffic stop.
Police, however, have been trying to claim that the shooting was accidental and it wasn't another instance of racism or police atrocities as Potter, the officer concerned, thought her handgun to be taser and fired at Wright.
Following the death of George Floyd last summer, Tlaib showed her support for legislation called the BREATHE Act. The bill, which has yet to be introduced, would divest federal money from federal law enforcement entities, close federal detention centers, and incentivize the closure of state prisons, among a host of other things, according to the project's website.
Slammed for Wrong Reasons
Tlaib is a well-known progressive warrior and is the oldest of 14 children, born and raised in Detroit to Palestinian immigrant parents. In 2008, she became the first Muslim woman to ever serve in the Michigan Legislature.
Tlaib through her tweet on Monday once again reignited the old debate that started last summer calling for defunding the police but this time she had to face severe backlash for a cause that she has more support for. Also, President Joe Biden also said during the campaign he did not support that. While her tweet garnered thousands of "likes" and "retweets", it also drew some negative commentary.
The conservative immediately took to Twitter to criticize her. "This "no more policing" tweet is getting bookmarked by lots of 2022 campaigns for when Rep. Tlaib claims she actually doesn't want to abolish the police," wrote one user.
"Nutpicking is overdone. But "No more policing, incarceration, and militarization. It can't be reformed" is so wildly stupid and irresponsible it needs to be called out (tho the "militarization" part is an argument at least). Be better for everyone if liberals said so," wrote another.
Yet another user tweeted: "No more policing or incarceration" is going to be a big winner for the Democrats probably."
