Billionaire George Soros provided financial backing for the “Defund the Police” movement by donating to at least one group that pushed to cut law enforcement budgets.
In detail: Soros contributed $1 million to Color Of Change PAC, an organization that describes itself as the largest racial justice group in the U.S., according to records filed with the Federal Election Commission and flagged by the Washington Free Beacon.
The sum was Soros’s largest political donation of the 2021 election cycle that was made to the organization.
Why it matters? The considerably large donation likely supported Color of Change’s efforts to slash police funding as the group was one of the many that advocated for defunding the police.
The Beacon reports that the organization led a political outreach campaign in support of the “defund the police” movement.
“Invest in black communities. Defund the police,” a petition by the organization read. It also argued in favor of “divesting from and dismantling the systems that unjustly harm Black people.”
“We know that policing doesn’t keep us safe, communities do. Policing doesn’t lead to thriving communities, investment does,” the petition said. “We must begin to envision the society that functions for ALL of us and we must begin by divesting from and dismantling the systems that unjustly harm Black people.”
Color Of Change also backed a push by the Minneapolis City Council to cut the budget of the police department.
“Policing is a violent institution that must end. We imagine a country where there is enough money to educate our children, care for our sick and feed those who are financially unstable. Defunding the police allows for this vision,” Color Of Change president Rashad Robinson said in a statement in support of the council’s efforts.
Worth noting: Even as the “defund the police” movement is no longer as popular as it was in 2020, the group still supports it. Last month, Malachi Robinson, a campaign director for Color of Change, called for an end to police and mass incarceration.
“We’re saying we need to invest in our communities and the things that keep our communities really safe,” he said.
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