Next week, the Gotham City Council will vote on its proposed $10.5 billion dollar budget for its ineffective and destructive police department. More money will be wasted on military grade tanks, riot gear, and anti-vigilante task forces while crime remains at record highs, confidence in the police is at an all time low, and citizens are more likely to trust their fate to a clearly sociopathic individual dressed like a bat.
We, the citizens of Gotham, are tired of watching as we misappropriate funds to ensure mass incarceration while bank robberies still seem to occur every month and Arkham Asylum’s recidivism rate is nearly 100%. Gotham’s proactive policing is indicative of a broken criminal justice system and a broken city that cries out for serious, long overdue change.
The resources spent hunting down Catwoman after she robs yet another billionaire could easily address this city’s clear mental health crisis. Look at how many of our citizens dress up in costumes and engage in elaborate crime sprees. More access to quality therapists would keep them out of Arkham to begin with and we subsequently wouldn't have to spend so much on Penguin bomb defusing robots.
Defunding the GCPD redirects spending towards our understaffed hospitals and clinics. We wouldn’t require stockpiles of Joker toxin anti-venom if we invested in our public health system in the first place. It also means that this city can finally stop relying on charitable gifts from the Wayne Foundation to fund our schools and public transit. We can say goodbye to One Percenter Bruce Wayne and his white knight philanthropy, attempting to buy penance for his privilege.
The city's only effective weapon against crime is the Batman, and the GCPD spends considerable manpower attempting to capture him. Granted, the Bat’s methods tend towards brutality and his lack of accountability is concerning, but he consistently has a faster response time and causes less collateral damage than the police. And the Batman does not cost the city a single cent. As long as we earmark enough funding for Bat-Signal maintenance, Gotham can police itself.
Jim Gordon, while a well-meaning and decent man, continues to be the most incompetent commissioner this city has ever seen. Gotham consistently has the highest crime rate in the country, worse than Metropolis, Central City, or even Grodd’s Gorilla City. We demand Gordon’s immediate resignation and that he be replaced with the fresh new perspective of Detective Renee Montoya.
A proper budget will finally address the city’s lack of affordable housing and abundance of dark and depressing infrastructure. Broken lamps and dark streets make it far too easy for robbers and thieves to attack and escape, perpetuating this systemic culture of crime. This city has an entire block whose official designation is “Crime Alley.” This should not be normalized.
We will also vastly increase funding of the performing arts so we can rebuild this city’s vibrant and diverse culture. We need to revitalize our old movie theaters, circuses and the Gotham Opera so that a family can enjoy a night out without fear of being mugged or accosted.
My fellow Gothamites, we are stuck in a perpetually deteriorating system that fails to protect those who most need it. I urge you to stand up and call your local councilperson and demand change. Tear down this corrupt city and give it back to the people! With this new budget and reallocation of responsibility, the Gotham Police will finally serve true justice!
Signed,
Benevolent Advocates for Neighborhood Empowerment
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