Biden vows to end jail time for drug offences but says he will not defund police

President supported putting more money into policing but also changing sentencing laws

by Graeme Massie in Los Angeles for TheIndependent.co.uk, 

Joe Biden vowed to end jail time for drug offences but told a TV town hall he will not defund police.

The president spoke out on the state of policing and prison sentencing in the US when asked about how to not “over legislate” police officers in high crime neighbourhoods, while training them to “police with compassion.”

“By number one, not defunding the police,” said Mr Biden at the CNN event in Wisconsin.

“We have to put more money into police work so that we have legitimate community policing and we are in a situation where we change the legislation. No-one should go to jail for a drugs offence, no-one should go to jail for the use of a drug, they should go to drug rehabilitation. "“We should be in the position where we change the sentencing system to one that relates to a notion of making sure you focus on making sure there is rehabilitation.”

Mt Biden went on to defend police officers by saying they had a right to get home from work safely, while also defending the rights of young Black men to not be harassed [....]

(I think both promises will be a big hit in Wisconsin, I don't know where else, but in that I am sure! Plenty of drug charges on all colors of people there. And in southeastern Wisconsin, i.e. Kenosha, Milwaukee, Wauwatosa, it was pitch perfect, they wanted to hear it!)

HERE'S SOME VIDEO CLIPS that Rupar posted on topic (he's got lots more related to most of the questions)

Biden: "The nation is not divided"

From CNN's Maureen Chowdhury, 1 hr. 35 min. ago

President Biden said he takes issue with "everybody" stating that the US is a divided country.

"The nation is not divided. You go out there and take a look and talk to people, you have fringes on both ends. But it's not nearly as divided as we make it out to be and we have to bring it together," Biden said in response to a question about his immediate and tangible plans to address division in the country.

Biden explained that he believes most people in the country agree on issues like coronavirus aid.

"You cannot function in our system without consensus other than abusing power at the executive level. So, I really think there's so many things that we agree on that we don't focus enough on... We have to be more decent and treat people with respect and just decency," Biden said.

Biden went on to revisit and mention some of the reasons he decided to run for President, including restoring the "soul of the country" and rebuilding the "backbone of the country."