An op-ed by Legal Aid attorneys Rigodis Appling & Jason Wu appearing in the Gotham Gazette takes on the systemic consequences of a police culture that tolerates officers fabricating testimony and evidence in order to justify violating constitutional protections and due process rights of Black and brown communities.

“In an era of alternative facts, the amplification of #CopsLie stories reveal truth and give visceral meaning as to why we must defund the police,” the op-ed states. “As we begin to reframe what public safety means and the role of policing, we must also understand that defunding the police seeks to reallocate and redistribute resources from policing to institutions and services that promote healthy communities–like education, healthcare, and housing.”