Biden’s Efforts to Distance Himself from Anti-Police Rhetoric
Greg Jackson (Twitter)
A leader of President Joe Biden’s anti-gun violence initiative is a former left-wing activist who decried larger police budgets in the wake of the George Floyd crime wave.
Biden launched the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention on Sept. 22, as part of his administration’s effort to “combat the epidemic of gun violence that is tearing our families, our communities, and our country apart.” Officially helmed by Vice President Kamala Harris, the initiative will be led in part by Greg Jackson, the former executive director of the left-wing Community Justice Action Fund.
The president lauded Jackson and Rob Wilcox, whom Biden also tapped for the office, for “being advocates for change.” But the change Jackson advocates for puts him at odds with a major White House stance.
Jackson has attacked police departments and their budgets throughout his career, including in a January 2021 University of Maryland policing seminar when he lamented that he is “struggling to survive while … police budgets thrive.” That same year, Jackson participated in an Obama Foundation webinar entitled ”Re Imagining Policing,” during which he touted “community-led violence intervention and prevention strategies” in place of traditional law enforcement. The goal, Jackson said, is to “ultimately reduce the need for policing.”
Biden has sought to distance himself from anti-police rhetoric throughout his term, a stance that has put him at loggerheads with the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. During his 2022 State of the Union address, Biden said, “the answer is not to defund the police, but to fund the police.” The White House webpage announcing the Office of Gun Violence Prevention notes that “President Biden continues to call” for legislation that “would put more police officers on our streets.”
Neither the White House nor Jackson responded to requests for comment.
The Community Justice Action Fund scrubbed Jackson’s bio and other information from its website prior to Biden’s announcement. But a review of the Internet Archive reveals that the organization routinely railed against increased funding for law enforcement.
A project of the George Soros-backed Tides Foundation, the Community Justice Action Fund penned an open letter in 2020 outlining principles that included demands that governments “divest from aggressive policing,” as well as “acknowledge that Black Lives Matter.” Other left-wing groups, including the National Black Justice Coalition and the American Federation of Teachers were among the signatories. That letter has since been deleted from the organization’s website.
The Community Justice Action Fund has waded into other issues as well, including immigration. A founding member of the organization called on the Senate to block provisions in a background check bill that would report illegal immigrants who attempt to purchase a firearm to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Although purchasing, or attempting to purchase, a firearm as an illegal immigration is a crime, the organization said Immigration and Customs Enforcement ”has no place in making communities safer.”
Violent crime has continued to plague the nation’s cities since 2020, with many alleging that alternatives to policing policies are in large part to blame. Although the homicide rate has receded, it is still roughly 25 percent higher than in the first half of 2019, according to the Council on Criminal Justice.
Jackson does not see increased police presence as a solution to rising crime. Speaking at the University of Maryland policing seminar in 2021, he lamented that “there’s still a lot of cities, unfortunately, across the country that only see policing as their strategy to address violence.”
Will Greg Jackson’s past statements and involvement in opposing increased funding for law enforcement affect the Biden administration’s policies and initiatives regarding law enforcement
Throughout his presidency, Joe Biden has made efforts to distance himself from anti-police rhetoric, despite having individuals associated with such sentiments in his administration.
One example of this contradiction is Greg Jackson, a leader of President Biden’s anti-gun violence initiative and former executive director of the left-wing Community Justice Action Fund. Jackson has consistently criticized police departments and their budgets throughout his career. In a January 2021 policing seminar at the University of Maryland, he expressed his frustration, stating that he is “struggling to survive while police budgets thrive.” Furthermore, in a webinar organized by the Obama Foundation titled “Reimagining Policing,” Jackson advocated for community-led violence intervention and prevention strategies instead of traditional law enforcement, with the ultimate aim of reducing the need for policing.
President Biden has repeatedly emphasized his support for law enforcement and his rejection of calls to defund the police. During his 2022 State of the Union address, he explicitly stated, “the answer is not to defund the police, but to fund the police.” In fact, the White House webpage announcing the Office of Gun Violence Prevention, led by Vice President Kamala Harris and including Greg Jackson, highlights President Biden’s call for legislation that would increase the number of police officers on the streets.
Despite these conflicting positions, neither the White House nor Greg Jackson have responded to requests for comment. Additionally, the Community Justice Action Fund, where Jackson previously served as executive director, has removed his bio and other information from its website prior to President Biden’s announcement.
The Community Justice Action Fund, which is backed by George Soros’ Tides Foundation, has consistently opposed increased funding for law enforcement. While it is common for administrations to include individuals with diverse perspectives, the appointment of someone with a history of criticizing police departments raises questions about President Biden’s commitment to his stated support for law enforcement.
In conclusion, President Biden’s efforts to distance himself from anti-police rhetoric have been called into question with the inclusion of Greg Jackson, a former left-wing activist, in his anti-gun violence initiative. Jackson’s past statements and involvement in opposing increased funding for law enforcement are at odds with the White House’s position. It remains to be seen how these conflicting perspectives will play out within the Biden administration’s policies and initiatives.
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