FOR POORER CITIES
WITH SERIOUS CRIME PROBLEMS,
CUTS MAY MEAN THAT THE
COST OF AUSTERITY WILL
ONE DAY BE TALLIED NOT JUST
IN DOLLARS AND CENTS,
BUT IN BLOODSHED AND TEARS.
up-close and personal with men and
women who are not fiction but fact,
every single day, being the heroes
that I most admire.”
It’s a nice image, but in reality,
Booker’s relationship with the police
department is considerably more nuanced, as he acknowledges afterward
to Huffington. In late 2010, he sought
concessions from the police union on
benefits, pay and perks that he argued
would prevent most if not all of the
looming layoffs. While other city employee unions took the cuts, the cops
stood firm. It was a difficult political
moment for Booker,