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Biden rejects calls to defund police, faces balancing act

WION Web Team
Washington, United StatesUpdated: Jun 09, 2020, 08:06 AM IST
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Photograph:(Reuters)

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The comments came as President Donald Trump and his campaign sought to tie Biden to calls to 'defund the police,' which have emerged in recent days at protests over police brutality and the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said Monday that he does not support some calls to "defund the police," declining to embrace a rallying cry that has gained support among progressive activists and protesters demonstrating against police brutality.

"I support conditioning federal aid to police based on whether or not they meet certain basic standards of decency and honorableness. And, in fact, are able to demonstrate they can protect the community and everybody in the community," Biden said in an interview excerpt aired Monday evening.

Earlier in the day, the presumptive his campaign stressed the need for law enforcement reforms like community policing, increased diversity in police hiring and funding for body cameras.

Yet Biden’s desire for “transformative change” in the criminal justice system falls short of what many progressive activists are calling for in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man who died last month in Minneapolis.

The comments came as President Donald Trump and his campaign sought to tie Biden to calls to "defund the police," which have emerged in recent days at protests over police brutality and the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.