One month ago, activists across the country recognized the one-year anniversary of George Floyd's killing, sparking discussion of what has changed in policing since then. While many ideas have been thrown around, like employing social workers to respond to mental health emergencies, very few changes have been institutionalized. Though there were calls for "defunding" the police, in Michigan most municipalities have increased their policing budgets.
“We have this institution (policing) and yes, they principally use hammers, but let's try to give them a different tool and see if they can use that too?" Christian Davenport, professor of political science, said. "That makes no sense, especially when we have mental health facilities and mental health professionals."
