​

In Tallahassee, the city police department (TPD) takes up over 36% of the city's entire budget. TCAC knows that the reason crime and other social deficiencies exist in our community aren't because poor people are evil. We know that the way to solve the problems we are facing is not to give more funding to a police department that has been receiving budget increases but hasn't been reducing crime rates. The way to solve social problems is through a social solution: more money, resources, and access for the most exploited, working class and Black and Brown members of our community.

​

 

This means giving aid through better infrastructure, better affordable housing, that everyone can access, better wages and protection by unions, and better public transportation so people without jobs can go to work and get groceries. This also means building publicly funded grocery stores and access to healthy foods to areas that historically denied them.

 

This means Community Control of the Police: the power of the Tallahassee community to decide how they are policed and thus
have the power to indict and punish officers who use their funding to harm and arrest marginalized communities. This means real, systemic change. These are the only ways to solve the problems plaguing Tallahassee today.

 

TPD and city officials make enough money as it is. As you look at this re-creation of our city budget, imagine what it would be like if our police department didn't make more money every year. Imagine if that funding went to people who actually needed it, and deserved it. This funding should be for the people.