NBA legend Charles Barkley—one of the Association's most dominant power forwards in history and now a star commentator on TNT's successful "Inside the NBA"—said in an interview that the movement to "defund police" is misguided.
According to Fox News, the former NBA player said in an interview with CNN, "We need the cops—most of the cops do a fantastic job—but instead of defunding and all this other stuff, let's just do police reform. Everybody should be on board for that whether you’re a Democrat, Republican, conservative or liberal."
Critics of law enforcement have called for defunding of police agencies across the country, saying that monies now budgeted for law enforcement would be better spent on social services and other functions.
Barkley added, "This is not black or white, this is just about humanity. To see a grown man die before our eyes. If you're not upset by that if you’re white, Jewish, Chinese, anything, there is something wrong with you."
Barkley said he hopes that elected leaders on both sides of the political divide begin discussions in earnest about viable police reforms that protect citizens and continue to support police.
