In responding to George Floyd's death, a number of activists and commentary online have focused on seeking alternatives to policing and even calling for abolishing the police.

This page discusses why activists believe the US over-relies on policing instead of other programs, some theoretical models that are alternatives to policing, and provides specific organizations as examples. At the bottom, there is also a discussion on police and prison abolitionism and how activists describe their work.

TL;DR

• Numerous activists and organizations believe that we over-rely on policing to handle certain problems, instead of other social services and first responders
• Additionally, the police can endanger black communities and other marginalized populations, instead of keeping them safe.
• Alternative models include the justice reinvestment model and the restorative justice model. Some studies suggest that funding and relying on various social services and community organizations can also reduce crime.
• There are numerous organizations that offer alternatives to calling the police, in Chicago and elsewhere in the US
• Additionally, some activists have been calling for police abolition. Two prominent advocates are Angela Davis and Mariame Kaba. Abolitionists emphasize the necessity of building up organizations that can serve as an alternative to policing, with the goal of eventually making the police unnecessary.

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Why seek alternatives to the police?

We over-rely on policing instead of other social services

The Vera Institute found that most 911 calls are not about crimes in progress, but police are still the de facto responders

The Vera Institute of Justice is an independent nonprofit national research and policy organization in the United States, focusing on issues of criminal justice, policing, and incarceration. Much of their work focuses on developing evidence-informed alternatives to current criminal justice procedures.

• (Click to open) More information about their prior work and contributions to national and state policy

One of the Vera Institute's ongoing projects is performing data analysis on 911 calls to understand what police officers across the country are being called for. They found that

• Police officers dedicate most of their time to responding to 911 calls. Over 240 million calls to 911 are made each year.
• The majority of these calls are unrelated to crimes in progress, but the police are still the de-facto responders.

An anecdotal example from reporter Michael Hobbes: