Actress Natalie Portman endorsed the ‘Defund the Police’ movement on Tuesday, becoming the latest celebrity to call for the defunding of law enforcement agencies in the US following the death of George Floyd last month.
In a series of social media posts released on her 39th birthday Tuesday, the Israeli-born actress lamented her own “white privilege”, and explained her decision to back efforts to strip law enforcement agencies of funding.
“When I first heard #defundthepolice, I have to admit my first reaction was fear,” wrote Natalie Portman in an Instagram post.
“My whole life, police have made me feel safe. But that’s exactly the center of my white privilege: the police make me as a white woman feel safe, while my black friends, family and neighbors feel the opposite: police make them feel terror.”
“And for good reason. Police are the 6th leading cause of death for black men in this country. These are not isolated incidents. They are patterns and part of the system of over-policing of black Americans. Reforms have not worked. Minneapolis, where George Floyd was murdered, is one of the most progressive police forces in the country, having undergone extensive anti-bias training. I am grateful to the leaders in the @mvmnt4blklives who have made us question the status quo. And who have made us imagine, what a world could be like in which we invested in nourishing people; (in their education, healthcare, environment, shelter)— rather than putting all of our money into punishment.”
“I’ve gotten to the age in my life, where if my gut feels uncomfortable, I take the situation as wrong. But this concept initially made me uncomfortable because I was wrong. Because the system that makes me feel comfortable is wrong. #defendblacklives#defundthepolice.”
On her official Twitter account, Portman reposted statements explaining the movement to defund American police, including claims that defunding police will lead to a decrease in violent crime.
“Police budgets are consistently increased but community and public institutions are slashed like schools, hospitals, and libraries,” one such statement reads.
“Redirected and reinvested public funds can uplift those communities while also reducing crime and increasing safety.”
“Research shows that crime is a response to social conditions, so by defunding police and redirecting money into communities, violent crime is reduced and communities are uplifted.”
Far-left activists have called for the defunding and dismantling of American police forces following the May 25th death of George Floyd, arguing that efforts to reform law enforcement have failed, and that redirecting funding from police departments to social spending could help reduce crime.
However, a 2018 Princeton study entitled “More COPS, Less Crime” found that an increased police presence in American cities reduced not only property crimes, but also murders.
Two years ago, Portman drew criticism in Israel after she refused to travel to Israel to accept the Genesis Prize, and later that year accused the Israeli government of racism.