.thereidout Blog: Here's why Biden's plan for unspent Covid funds will spur controversy
The announcement comes as officials nationwide devise ways to combat the expected uptick in crime during the summer months. But Biden's guidance is complicated by recollections of the massive protests that erupted across the country during summer of 2020, when the power and dominance of the U.S. police state came into clear view.
Putting Covid funding toward law enforcement, the administration said, is the"cornerstone" of a gun crime reduction agenda Biden released in June. The White House outlined possible uses for the funds, including technical improvements to emergency services like 911 and expanding re-entry employment programs for formerly incarcerated people. Other uses involve giving funds directly to law enforcement agencies to hire more police and construct new police precincts.
That’s certain to arouse concern among civil rights activists who’ve been sounding the alarm on Covid relief funds being used to bolster already-large police budgets.published by The Appeal in March detailed examples of states like Oklahoma and Alabama funneling millions of dollars in Covid relief funds to law enforcement entities — including to jails and prisons.
The unspent Covid relief funds can surely be placed toward things communities require. But if past is prologue, there’s a risk that they could be used to inflict harm, and the Biden administration should beware.