The iconic ice cream brand Ben & Jerry's has joined the chorus to defund the police, becoming the first major business to support the cause.
In a Juneteenth Facebook post, the company said it was "more important than ever that we dismantle the racist and ineffective model of American policing."
The post provides a link to a special page on the Ben & Jerry's website explaining what "Defund the Police" actually means.
"Defund the Police means that we stop spending our tax dollars on so many of the discredited, dangerous, and racist parts of policing and instead invest that money in community-driven solutions that foster real health, peacekeeping, and safety. So, rather than endlessly growing police budgets, loading up on manpower, surveillance, armor, and weapons of war, we’d increase funding for things that people really need, like: Affordable housing; Job training; Education; Healthcare; Mental-health treatment and counseling; Substance-use treatment and counseling; Childcare; Parks and Recreation; and Community centers and libraries."
The company goes on to say "American policing is fundamentally flawed - Band-Aids won’t fix it."
This is not the first time the company and its founders have been involved in social politics. As People magazine points out "Ben & Jerry’s co-founders, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, have long been vocal about social justice causes, both through their ice cream flavors and their own activism."
Defund the police, defend Black communities! This #Juneteenth, it’s more important than ever that we dismantle the racist and ineffective model of American policing. Learn more about how defunding the police works and why we so desperately need it: https://t.co/JLY6f0u5y3 pic.twitter.com/3UnML38dDx
— Ben & Jerry's (@benandjerrys) June 19, 2020
