BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. (WBFF) — A Democratic candidate running for Maryland’s House of Delegates in Baltimore County is defending calls to abolish police and prisons, drawing sharp criticism from Republican lawmakers and local law enforcement.
Ly Xinzhen Brown, a Democrat running in District 7A, has repeatedly expressed opposition to policing and incarceration, arguing that neither makes communities safer.
“I come from a perspective in that police and prisons do not make us safe and should not exist,” Brown said in a previous video. In another video, Brown stated, “I believe that the only solution to police violence, whether that is very subtle violence or that is overt violence, is abolition.”
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During an exclusive interview with FOX45 News, Brown doubled down, arguing that public safety funding would be better spent addressing the underlying causes of crime.
“I stand by my values, and I know that many people probably disagree with me about abolition, but the reality is that we all want to need police and prisons less than we currently have them,” Brown said, “We spent $277 million on the Baltimore County Police Department this year. If that was going to stop the problem of crime, it would have already worked.”
While acknowledging that a society without police or prisons remains a distant goal, Brown confirmed that, if elected, they would advocate for reducing funding to the Baltimore County Police Department.
“I would advocate for putting less funding into Baltimore County Police Department, and more funding into social services and schools and healthcare,” Brown said.
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When asked whether the ultimate goal would be to eliminate police funding entirely, Brown responded, “If we didn’t have crime or violence anymore, we wouldn’t need police at all.” FOX45 also pressed Brown on whether a society entirely free of crime and violence is realistic. “It won’t be possible unless we make it happen,” Brown responded.
Brown’s position is drawing strong opposition from Republican Delegates Kathy Szeliga and Ryan Nawrocki, who are also running in District 7A.
“When someone is robbing you, when you are a victim of crime, who will you call to come help you? You’re going to call the police. This is so irresponsible,” Szeliga said.
“Prisons exist for a reason. There are some people that are just not capable of being on the streets in a civilized society,” Nawrocki said.
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Brown’s statements also drew criticism from Baltimore County Fraternal Order of Police President Doug Jess, who warned that eliminating law enforcement and prisons would have serious consequences for public safety.
“I just think that this is dangerous language that I hope the people of District Seven A of Maryland don’t buy into,” Jess said, “They both have their flaws, and we can work on fixing both. But without them, its anarchy, and to vote for anarchy is not going to make your kids safer, your schools better, or anything else.”
FOX45 also asked Brown whether their position on prison abolition would extend to releasing individuals convicted of violent crimes, including mass murderers. However, Brown declined to address specific cases or hypotheticals.
“I think that we’re getting into really nitty gritty details of individual cases,” said Brown, “Again, if prisons were going to fix it and going to stop it, they would have. They would have done it already.”
With early voting already underway, ultimately, it will be up to Baltimore County voters to decide whether Brown’s vision for public safety is a step toward progress or a step too far.
This post was originally published on Fox 45 by Sinclair Media Group.
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