Media producer Tyler Perry told CNN’s Anderson Cooper that he does not support defunding the police and countered by saying that “we need more police”.
“You gotta understand this: I am not for taking money from the police department,” Perry told Cooper Wednesday night, “I think we need more police.”
According to the Blaze, Perry is the owner of a $250 million film production facility in Sylvan Hills, Atlanta and known for his roles in the ‘Medea’ movies. Perry says that his studio is in a “neighborhood” where he thinks more police are needed.
Perry continued: “I think we need the police. I know that I need the police. I have several that work for me here at the studio. We need them. But we need them reformed. We need them trained well, we need the right structure.”
He also signaled concern for political groups and organizations that are attempting to hijack the “nationwide anti-police brutality movement” following the death of George Floyd.
“When people galvanize and come together as one, that’s when change happens. But lately, I’ve been very, very concerned that the message is being hijacked by some other groups, or political ads and parties that are trying to stop the message of what we’re asking for here is police reform,” Perry added, saying that he thought the ‘defund the police’ movement would become a political weapon.
Perry acknowledged that some of the ideas within the ‘defund the police’ movement have merit, such as clinically preparing officers to deal with certain situations, but concluded that taking money from police departments is troubling.