BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. (WBFF) — Calls to abolish police and prisons by a Baltimore County candidate for the Maryland House of Delegates are drawing growing backlash from law enforcement leaders and elected officials from both parties, as early voting is underway and Election Day nears.
Ly Xinzhen Brown, a Democrat running in District 7A, has repeatedly argued for abolition, saying, “I come from a perspective in that police and prisons do not make us safe and should not exist.”
“I believe that the only solution to police violenceis abolition,” Brown said. “No police will make us safe.”
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On Monday, the presidents of the Baltimore County and state police unions appeared at a news conference alongside Baltimore County councilmembers and state lawmakers from both parties to push back on Brown’s vision for law enforcement.
Baltimore County police union President Doug Jess said, “It has sparked quite a reaction.”
He added, “We have to nip it very quickly and make sure that we make clear how hard our officers work, how they put it on the line every day, and how calling to get rid of them is just bad for everyone in the public.”
State Sen. Carl Jackson said he attended to make clear not all Democrats share Brown’s views.
“I just wanted to provide some balance that not all Democrats believe that and think that way,” Jackson said.
In an interview last week, Brown defended the position while acknowledging disagreement.
“I stand by my values, and I know that many people probably disagree with me about abolition,” Brown said. “But the reality is that we all want to need police and prisons less than we currently have them.”
Brown has argued that while removing police and prisons entirely is a distant goal, public safety funding would be better spent addressing underlying causes of crime. Brown said they would advocate for reducing funding to the Baltimore County Police Department if elected.
“We spent $277 million on the Baltimore County Police Department this year,” Brown said. “If that was going to stop the problem of crime, it would have already worked.”
When asked whether a society without crime or violence is realistic, Brown said, “It won’t be possible unless we make it happen.”
Two of Brown’s challengers, Republican Del. Ryan Nawrocki and Republican Del. Kathy Szeliga, condemned Brown’s statements.
Szeliga said, “We reject, we reject outright the idea to not just defund the police, but abolish the police.”
Nawrocki called Brown’s position dangerous.
“It is a completely irresponsible and dangerous position, and everyone should condemn rhetoric like this,” he said.
A Baltimore County councilman also pushed back on the idea of eliminating police, saying, “It’s a nice thought that we could not have police officers, but we need police officers.”
Brown was contacted Monday for a response to the growing opposition, but had not responded.
This post was originally published on Fox 45 by Sinclair Media Group.
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