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One of the surprising byproducts of the protests over George Floyd’s murder is a movement to analyze government budgets.
Many are asking cities to reexamine how much they spend on policing in comparison to mental health resources or poverty mitigation programs that are proven to reduce the need for policing in the first place.
This focus on budgeting is a welcome sign. I’ve long believed that what we fund dictates what we value. And for far too many of our Republican lawmakers, alleviating racial and socioeconomic inequality isn’t high on the list.
Though most protesters are currently focused on city budgets, here in Arizona, the greatest inequities are baked into our state budget.