Defund The Boise Police Department

As the City of Boise is currently making decisions about the next financial year’s budget, now is the time to let our mayor and city council members know that our community wants to see real change and the Boise Police Department defunded.

Defunding the police means refunding social services. We demand cutting BPD's budget significantly, and investing in underfunded programs like affordable housing, housing for the homeless, mental health services, substance abuse care, community engagement, arts & history, parks, and libraries. 

In Boise's 2020 budget, the BPD had a budget of 70 million dollars (that's nearly 30% of the entire city's budget). The Mayor has proposed to increase the budget for the 2021 fiscal year budget. The Mayor has said police budget increases are to facilitate the hiring of more officers, but more funding, more officers, and more training will not fix a broken justice system.

For Black people, law enforcement doesn’t protect or save lives. They often threaten and take them. We call for an end to the systemic racism that allows this culture of corruption to go unchecked and lives to be taken, and we know an effective way to do so is through defunding the police and reinvesting in the most underserved in our community. 

We demand investment in our community and the resources to ensure Black people not only survive, but thrive, in Boise. It’s time for our city to #DefundThePolice and #InvestInCommunity. 

Let's tell Mayor McLean and Boise City Council that we need to defund the police. If you’re with us, add your name to the petition right now