In the wake of George Floyd’s death, two movements reemerged. First, you saw the Black Lives Matter Movement, then you saw the Back The Blue Movement. Both groups, fighting for both sides’ safety and equality, clashed when the idea presented itself: we should abolish the police, or defund them.

First, we need to identify what all arguments are derived from. ACAB or All Cops Are Bastards, is the acronym used to describe a disliking of the current policing system. There is a belief that no matter what type of cop you are, good or bad, you are a bastard for following a corrupt system that is racially unjust. This idea has spawned many different arguments on both sides, but more complexities have been identified on the Black Lives Matter’s side. Theirs splits in two: ABOLISH the police and DEFUND the police.

What does it mean when one says “Abolish the police?” According to various threads on social media, abolishing the police means exactly what you would think: completely eradicate the police force and opt for community patrols with educated individuals. Who are these educated individuals? They are identified as mental health experts, social workers, and any individual who does not need to use force. The issue surrounding this idea is that these community patrols essentially have no power, and that is true. For them to have any sort of power, a law must be mandated on either the state or federal level. Following this, on either level, there must be a section regarding the police force saying it is disbanded. Afterward, the funds in the law enforcement sector would have to be divided up and put into other sectors like education, infrastructure, and healthcare. Abolishing the police has a sister argument: Defund the police.

What does it mean when you hear “Defund the police?” Once again, the exact thing you would assume. The idea of defunding the police means to only reduce their budget, which is roughly around $115 billion. Now, the funds would be deducted and divided among other sectors, including but not limited to education, healthcare, infrastructure, affordable housing, mental health counseling, and job training. This ideology seeks to take the excess funding that would normally go to riot and military-grade gear and put it into areas that need attention. The police are still wanted, but with less money so that they are unable to use excessive force. This movement would not eradicate them, just alter their ability to have special gear.

The opposing movement, Back the Blue, argues that none of this needs to happen. Abolishing the police and defunding them would not result in anything useful; it would just create more crime and push more communities into poverty. The movement seeks to show support for policemen and women who put their lives on the line every day. The focus is entirely on protecting the police. They believe that we should increase funding and ensure that the police are safe. It also provides them with improved training on important issues like mental health and substance abuse. By backing the Blue, you agree that their lives matter as well.

A common misconception between Black Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter (another name for Back the Blue) is that Blue Lives are one, nonexistent and two, that it contradicts what Black Lives Matter stands for. Blue Lives is essentially an argument that says we should not kill cops as being a cop is a job. Their role in our everyday life is to de-escalate situations so that nobody dies. It does not contradict what Black Lives Matter stands for, because at the end of the day, cops agree with that statement. People tend to believe that Blue Lives Matter is harmful to our Black friends, but the truth is that it stands for the idea that all lives matter equally. The All Lives Matter movement seeks to establish equality for all people whether you are white, black, gay, straight, young, old, female, male, or transgender. The movement focuses on treating everyone equally, hence why it is associated with pro-life, and therefore, the Conservatives.

The All Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter movements have been met with backlash. At the end of the day, it is entirely what you believe. While it is true that the police have a background in slave patrols, here is what differs from that argument. At the time, slavery was legal, and a slave on the run was breaking the law. Was it right? Of course not, but that was then. Did it mean that the police were only slave patrols? Absolutely not. The police still had the same job of solving crimes. Today, slave patrol might as well be chasing suspects on the run. However, we do not consider that to be the same. What many people tend to disregard is the gradual change that has occurred in the United States from 1619 to the present. Another fact that is disregarded is that other countries had slavery for far longer and eradicated the law after the United States did. In Africa, other nations had slaves of their color. Slavery was a thing on every continent, except Antarctica. Yet, it is ignored because people only want what fits their narrative. That’s why black on black crime is not discussed. It’s why the media only talks about white on black crime, but more specifically, white cops on black crime.

All movements are relevant and important, but what they stand for and their origins can be completely different. Mainstream media will not give you all the facts; they will shove circumstantial evidence down your throat and make it appear as if it is the truth. If you are going to look into topics such as this one, you need to look at multiple media outlets before you commit to an idea because I promise you, none of them will be purely factual.