Natalie Portman explains how she initially ‘feared’ #DeFundThePolice but now she supports it

Natalie Portman has said she supports the Defund The Police movement after admitting she was initially fearful of it because of her ‘white privilege’.

She took to Instagram on Monday, sharing resources that explain the movement in detail following the death of George Floyd at the hands of police on May 25.

The 38-year-old said: ‘My whole life, police have made me feel safe. But that’s exactly the center of my white privilege. 

‘I feel safe because of my white privilege’: Natalie Portman has revealed she now supports the Defund The Police movement and says her ‘black friends feel terror at the hands of cops’ (pictured in September 2018) 

Education: The 38-year-old took to Instagram on Monday, sharing artwork and a number of images and resources that explain the #DeFundThePolice movement in detail

'Reforms don't work': She has said that she didn't think the movement was a good idea at first but that she has changed her mind

Education: The 38-year-old took to Instagram on Monday, sharing artwork and a number of images and resources that explain the #DeFundThePolice movement in detail 

‘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.’ 

She added that this feeling is ‘for good reason’ adding that, ‘police are the sixth leading cause of death for black men in this country. 

She continued: ‘These are not isolated incidents. They are patterns and part of the system of over-policing of black Americans. Reforms have not worked.’

Educational: Natalie shared some information about the matter on her social media account

 Educational: Natalie shared some information about the matter on her social media account

She added that Minneapolis, where George Floyd was killed at the hands of police, ‘is one of the most progressive police forces in the country, having undergone extensive anti-bias training.’

She said: ‘I am grateful to the leaders 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,’ the actress said.

She also included ‘additional resources’ from The Slacktivists that explained what ‘defunding the police’ really meant.

 

While many believe this movement wants to get rid of the police entirely, it really means, ‘reducing police budgets (& power) on a local and state level and investing that money directly into poor communities of color through public services.’

‘One of reasons this is gaining so much momentum is because police reforms aren’t working, since Minneapolis was seen as such a progressive police department before the George Floyd murder.’

Natalie also added resources for how you can enact change in your own city, which includes making demands to mayors and city councils to ‘reject city budgets with expanded & militarized police budgets.’

 

She also suggests to contact your city’s Independent Budget Office to learn about ‘budget literacy’ while also providing a ‘script’ to use in your phone calls and/or emails.

Portman also included sources for the information she provided, along with additional reading resources for those who want to learn more.

President Trump and his allies have seized on calls to ‘defund the police’ as a dangerous example of Democratic overreach as the US president fights crises that threaten his re-election.

Hasn't worked: Natalie said that Minneapolis, where George Floyd was murdered, 'is one of the most progressive police forces in the country, having undergone extensive anti-bias training' (Floyd appears in an undated photo released by a high school friend)

Hasn’t worked: Natalie said that Minneapolis, where George Floyd was murdered, ‘is one of the most progressive police forces in the country, having undergone extensive anti-bias training’ (Floyd appears in an undated photo released by a high school friend)

Prominent Democrats, including presumptive presidential nominee Joe Biden, are distancing themselves from the ‘defund’ push, which some supporters say is a symbolic commitment to end systemic racism and change policing priorities rather than an actual plan to eliminate police forces.

Facing increasing pressure to weigh in, Mr Biden addressed the issue on Monday in an interview with CBS Evening News.

He said: ‘I don’t support defunding the police. I support conditioning federal aid to police based on whether or not they meet certain basic standards of decency, honourableness and, in fact, are able to demonstrate they can protect the community, everybody in the community.’

Tragic death: Floyd was seen in a video saying he couldn't breathe as white officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee against his neck for 8 minTrgiutes and 46 seconds

Tragic death: Floyd was seen in a video saying he couldn’t breathe as white officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee against his neck for 8 minTrgiutes and 46 seconds

Other Democratic opponents of the movement include Senator Cory Booker, a former presidential candidate and one of two black Democratic senators, and Representative Karen Bass, head of the Congressional Black Caucus.

National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) president Derrick Johnson, in an interview, also declined to endorse calls to defund the police.

‘I support the energy behind it. I don’t know what that substantively means. As I’m talking to people about the concept, I’ve gotten three different explanations,’ said Mr Johnson, who has criticised Mr Trump.

‘We know there has to be a change in the culture of policing in this country.’

Municipal officials in Minneapolis have endorsed the ‘defund the police’ language backed by some civil rights activists and a handful of progressive House Democrats. 

Protesters over the weekend also painted the words in large yellow letters on a street close to the White House.

Trump, meanwhile, is grasping for a strategy that might generate some momentum. An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll over the weekend found 80% of Americans believed the country was out of control.

Some Trump advisers have considered having the president deliver an address on police-community relations and racial injustice, while others believe it would do little good, according to two White House officials and Republicans close to the White House. 

They also discussed creating a task force featuring housing secretary Ben Carson, the only black member of Mr Trump’s Cabinet, but that has yet to get off the ground.

Before the pandemic, Trump advisers believed the president had a real chance of making inroads with black voters, given his support for criminal justice reform and the strength of the economy. They are less confident now.

Joe Biden has said: 'I don’t support defunding the police. I support conditioning federal aid to police based on whether or not they meet certain basic standards of decency'

Joe Biden has said: ‘I don’t support defunding the police. I support conditioning federal aid to police based on whether or not they meet certain basic standards of decency’