Los Angeles mayoral candidate wants to abolish the police because 'resourced healthy communities' don't need police

A mayoral candidate in Los Angeles, California, said that she was in favor of abolishing the police department altogether because she believes that healthy communities simply don't need police.

Community activist Gina Viola made the comments in an interview with Elex Michaelson and Marla Tellez of KTTV-TV.

"I say that resourced healthy communities are safe communities, that the reason that there are any communities that aren't safe is because the police has been hoarding the budget," said Viola.

"If you look at the COVID dollars that were put into the city of Los Angeles, Kenneth Mejia, who is running for city controller, put a billboard the other day. The LAPD got over half of that funding that was meant for COVID relief for the city of L.A. And this has been our reality for decades now," she continued.

"So do you want to get rid of the police, abolish the police?" asked Michaelson.

"Yes eventually!" she laughed. "Again healthy communities do not need police. When communities are resourced, there is low crime!"

Viola was challenged on what communities do not need police, but she kept claiming that if communities are fully funded by taking away funding from police that there would be no crime.

"If folks have their needs met, they don't need to steal!" claimed Viola.

She went on to say that where she lives in Hollywood there are plenty of police but crimes still occur, which she takes to mean that police simply do not prevent crime.

Los Angeles is in the middle of a crime wave so bad that even the progressive mayoral candidates are promising to increase funding for the Los Angeles Police Department — except for Viola.

Viola reiterated her anti-police stance in a tweet on her campaign account.

"Cops do not stop crime and they do not solve crime. We must think of solutions beyond policing! We need to reinvest into our communities! Well funded communities don’t need cops!" she tweeted.

Viola is considered a long-shot candidate for the mayoral office. In a poll from March, 40% of Los Angeles residents said they were undecided on the mayoral candidates.

The election will be held on June 7.

Here's the video of her comments: