German, Jerusalem, and Dylan talk about an idea that has come to dominate national discussions of policing: defunding the police. They walk through the pros and cons of the idea as a policy proposal, then discuss how it’s affecting the politics of criminal justice. Finally, they discuss new research on discrimination against Black and Latinx renters. References: German’s article on police research German’s article on guns and policing Austin’s defunding journey Study finding more police mean fewer homicides Study finding London police closures led to more violent crime Expert survey finding most say more police funding would mean public safety improvements 2020's protests led to state policing reforms, but not defunding Pew on public opinion toward defunding the police Rogé Karma interviews Patrick Sharkey on The Ezra Klein Show White paper: “Racial Discrimination and Housing Outcomes in the United States Rental Market” Jerusalem's article on discrimination against housing voucher recipients Hosts: Dylan Matthews (@dylanmatt), senior correspondent, Vox German Lopez (@germanrlopez), senior correspondent, Vox Jerusalem Demsas (@jerusalemdemsas), policy reporter, Vox Credits: Sofi LaLonde, producer & engineer Libby Nelson, editorial adviser Amber Hall, deputy editorial director of talk podcasts Sign up for The Weeds newsletter each Friday: vox.com/weedsletter Want to support The Weeds? Please consider making a donation to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices