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Haven't been here in awhile and see that we're mum on this subject.

This past week has been crazy but change is uncomfortable and change is needed. As cyclists we stand to benefit from increased police accountability, I'd like to think we support the BLM movement. I do.

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More good. Thanks again, John.

https://jacobinmag.com/2020/06/defund-police-protests-minneapolis-c...

This article makes a good case for defunding. 

Well not exactly.  It doesn't reflect correlation between increased police spending and how it helps with driving down overall crime rates.  https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/2/13/18193661/hire-pol...  See also this graph from Mother Jones.  The point is that the crime rate has been trending down, all while your article VW discusses increases in police spending.  Isn't this the related outcome people would hope for?

The real cause of high crime rates?  Lead. It was banned it because harmful effects on the individual were discovered.  https://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2018/02/an-updated-lead-crim...

For a while Mike the gas/crime theory was even a pro-cycling angle, in that if there was less (leaded) gas burning, that would be good for crime. I think the lead/crime example still gets some discussion in statistics courses (although some people these days probably ask "what's leaded gasoline?) and meanwhile if someone sees a crime, they usually don't call a gas station, instead they just call the police.  

V W, you are posting "Black Lives Matter" and instead of listening and asking questions of the one black cyclist that engages on your post, you accuse him of gaslighting and being defensive. We all have a lot to learn about being supportive and truly walking the walk of supporting Black Lives Matter. Black Lives DO Matter and we need to be present and ready to hear how we have not done enough, how our silence has perpetuated systemic racism. Just look at the other post about systemic racism in cycling. The lack of dialogue and one person trying to argue we need MORE cops, not less because the black community needs it to keep crime under control. Just UGH. 

Yas, thanks for your comprehensive response here. However, in the spirit of full disclosure, although my father gave me a decidedly "black" name (which, sad to say, he would have been appalled if he had been more aware how black it really is!), I am a white boy who is on the path to being a good ally and an anti-racist.  

Ah, thanks for the clarity Curtis. :-)

Btw I am a minority. 

Five weeks later ...

And??

All lives matter.

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