Biden Walks the Line Between Police Reform and Confronting Crime

In a meeting at the White House, President Joe Biden urged mayors from some of the nation’s largest cities to invest in police departments and establish community-based programs that could help rebuild trust between people of color and law enforcement,  saying Americans owed law enforcement and community leaders “big time.” The meeting sent a clear signal to progressives in his party and Republican critics that he would crack down on crime, reports the New York Times. It is a difficult position for Biden, who risks alienating liberals in Congress and voters who are pushing for criminal justice reform after police killings of Black people last year.

Biden’s plan also includes urging communities to use $350 billion in funds from his $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package to increase hiring at departments as well as support more community-focused organizations. And by inviting Eric Adams, the Brooklyn borough president who won the Democratic nomination for New York City mayor in part by making public safety a centerpiece of his campaign, Biden is reflecting his support for balancing reform with strong anti-crime efforts. The “first responsibility of democracy,” the president said, “(is) to keep each other safe.”