“It seems to me that the purpose of the press conference was to make people scared and to make people afraid,” he said. “And unfortunately, we’re going to see more of
The political conflict in Texas is one of a number unfolding across the country as cities re-examine policing in the wake of protests over the death of George Floyd, who died during an arrest in Minneapolis in May.
Protesters have demanded fundamental changes, substantial budget cuts and transfer of responsibilities that could more appropriately be handled by social services departments.
More than a dozen cities, including Minneapolis, have considered substantial cuts to their police budgets, but some have since faltered.
Calls to defund the police contributed to a shift of roughly $1 billion away from the New York City Police Department. In Los Angeles, the City Council approved the reduction of $150 million from police budget for reinvestment into social programs. But in Seattle, talk of drastic cuts to the police budget prompted Chief Carmen Best, the first Black woman to head the department, to resign in frustration.
Many of the proposals have met with opposition from local and state politicians like Mr. Abbott, who say the changes could impair the ability of the police to fight crime and protect property.
At the news conference in Fort Worth, one of the most conservative cities in the state, Republican leaders applauded city voters’ recent renewal of a half-cent sales tax that provides long-range financing for the police department.