Solidarity against police violence; it’s time to start defunding the VPD

DSV statement on police violence

The Democratic Socialists of Vancouver join in condemning the murder of George Floyd and in expressing our solidarity with local and worldwide movements committed to alleviating state violence against Black and other racialized peoples. Police violence serves to enforce the rules and laws that allow capital to continue its oppressions of racialized and working class people. The movement against systemic racism and police violence is an essential part of fighting for a better world. 

In Vancouver, systemic racism and violence are inherent features of the Vancouver Police Department and the RCMP. This city’s founding was marked by forced occupation of the lands and violent displacement of many of the villages and sites of the Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh, and Musqueam peoples. We have recently seen this violence in action as the RCMP continue to mobilize against Wet'suwet'en in their traditional territory.

And just this morning, June 4, in New Brunswick, an Indigenous woman from British Columbia, Chantel Moore, was shot dead by police responding to a call to perform a wellness check.  

Contrary to soothing liberal myths, colonialism and racism are not just stains from the past — they remain clear and present realities that require collective struggle to defeat here in Vancouver and across Canada. 

Recent data from the BC Civil Liberties Association reveals an appalling overrepresentation of Black and Indigenous people in terms of rates of street checks and police stops, as well as rates of incarceration. In 2017, Indigenous people accounted for over 16% of street checks despite making up 2% of the population, and Black people accounted for 5% of street checks despite making up 1% of the population. According to the BCCLA, “[t]his undermines the claim that VPD are engaged in proactive policing and, instead, suggests that race-based over-policing and pretext-policing are occurring.”

Funding for the Vancouver Police Department, which presently eats up more than 20% of the city’s annual budget, has grown in leaps and bounds over the past decade, while the urgent needs of working people for responsive and accessible services have been neglected by local government. The City of Vancouver spends more money on police than on parks, recreation, arts, culture, community services, and libraries combined. The VPD’s annual operating budget alone now stands at well over $300 million, up from $180 million in 2008. It’s disgraceful that these budget hikes have been voted through by successive city councils with little or not dissent from elected officials. The exception was 2019, when Jean Swanson used her single seat on city council to oppose yet another increase to the police budget.

In May 2020, in response to a revenue shortfall brought on by the COVID-19 downturn in the economy, Vancouver City Council passed a 1% cut to the police budget, in addition to deeper budget cuts to other city services upon which regular working people rely. The Democratic Socialists of Vancouver supports the cut to the police budget, and calls for further reductions to the police budget in order to rescind some or all of the cuts to other city services.

In addition to adding our voices in solidarity with the protests against racism and police violence, we demand concrete action by local elected officials: Defund the VPD and redirect the funds to urgent priorities like housing, transit, and public services. Stop criminalizing poverty and start disarming the police. 

Democratic Socialists of Vancouver

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*The DSV is a brand new collective effort. As a result of COVID-19, the DSV is currently operating as an ad hoc group of individuals who support socialist policies and organizing.

Once the time comes, we will officially launch the DSV and become a membership-based organization for those wanting to be part of a collective effort to organize to put people and the planet ahead of profits and greed. We welcome all those interested to join us: https://www.democraticsocialistsyvr.ca/join-us