Part 12: "What We Fight For" End Mass Incarceration and Police Immunity
"Demilitarize police departments, disempower police unions, and redirect funding to public services as steps towards fully abolishing the police and prison system which protects the rich and jails the poor. Treat drug addiction and mental illness as health issues, not crimes. End qualified immunity and empower civilian oversight bodies with real authority over the police." - DSA https://program.dsausa.org/
Yes, Democrats have been war-crying for a number of years to "de-fund the police" along with D.A.s, mayors, governors, and a prior president who reduced populations in our jails and prisons to put tried and convicted criminals on the street. This is nothing but political immunity. Both immunity issues must be corrected. But the incarcerated, released criminals who have not served their full, legal prison sentences need to return to prison. Otherwise, dire increases in crime result. Blame the billionaires, DSA says, again. And, as it happens, illegal drug use is a crime, social boo-hoo notwithstanding. There is already authority over the police by city, county, and state civilian oversight.
DSA claims the current American system "protects the rich and jails the poor." About 24 million Americans [8.8%] are indeed millionaires, or better, https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2023/05/23/the-making-of-a-millionaire-and-why-100k-is-no-longer-the-benchmark-salary-for-wealth-in-america/
40 million [10.6%] live below the poverty level. https://poverty.ucdavis.edu/faq/what-current-poverty-rate-united-states That is a difference of merely 1.8% of the people.
The greatest factor to improve low wages is acquiring practical skills by further education. 8.5% to 10.1% of Americans lack a complete high school education. https://www.ccdaily.com/2025/09/datapoints-educational-attainment-in-the-u-s/ That is virtually all the people who exist below the poverty level. A K-12 education is is tuition-free to all in America. Why do people enter the work force of full-time work without a high school diploma? DSA says its favoring the wealthy. Wealth is inconsequential to obtaining a high school diploma. It is lack of ambition, to which the DSA says not one word. Why not? Because socialism lacks ambition.
"Treat drug addiction and incarceration as health issues, not crimes." Compassionate sentiment, but abuse of illegal substances is a crime, and no amount of talk changes that unless the law, itself, is changed. Where these drugs are demonstrated as being illegal, and in addition, addictive, more the reason to avoid their use. There is a dual aspect to the law. More reason to prosecute and convict, thus the need for incarceration, and to stop the current practice of a turnstile treatment of convicted criminals. Crime must not pay. It sure doesn't provide a useful education.