What does it mean to defund the police? Paisha Thomas from Faith in Public Life opened her comments by asking us to consider the city budget as a moral document, and the fact that one-third of our city’s budget is allocated to policing. Other cities have begun the process of diverting some of those funds to housing, mental health and health needs of the community – steps which have promise to reduce the need for police by eliminating underlying causes of crime and violence, with the added benefit of relieving the burden of impact on all involved. Reliance on the police has benefited white citizens to the detriment of people of color, and we are asked to think more deeply on what truly is safety and how can it best be achieved. Columbus is #7 on lists for numbers of citizens killed by police, and is now facing for a second time attention from the United States Department of Justice questioning problems with racism in our police force. It is time for us to get more involved in ensuring that the city budget, funded by us the taxpayers, supports health and healing and not harm to our neighbors. To get involved with Central Ohio Jews For Justice who will be working on this issue, contact centralohiojewsforjustice@gmail.com For a unique view of policing from a Jewish perspective, read “What Happens When Everything is Broken? Grappling With #DefundthePolice,” by Rabbi Aryeh Cohen