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The majority of Black Americans want police, and are fairly confident of respectful treatment, whereas the majority of American women are unhappy with the way that society treats women, according to Gallup polls.

The majority do want “changes” in policing. One of the “major changes” wanted is more community policing. Not much has changed, then, in the last few decades. People still want to sleep safely in their beds, and especially want their children to sleep safely, rather than having to sleep on the floor, due to shoot-outs between gang members (or targeted shootings). They want their children to be able to play safely. And, surely, they still want after school activities for kids and teens, to keep them out of trouble. In this context, police presence is considered dissuasive of crime, and community police on foot can better patrol, especially in public housing.

Eighty-one percent (81%) of Black Americans want the same amount of police presence, or more, in their area, compared to eighty-eight percent (88%) of White Americans, according to a June 23-July 6 Gallup Panel survey. Twenty percent (20%) of Black Americans want more police in their area, compared to seventeen percent (17%) of White Americans. Thirty-two percent (32%) of Black Americans and twenty-two percent (22%) of White Americans say that they see the police often or very often.

Among Black Americans who see police Very often/Often, 66% want the police to spend the same amount (56%) or more time (10%) in their neighborhood.

Sixty-one percent (61%) of Black Americans are very or somewhat confident that police would treat them “with courtesy and respect”, compared to 91% of White Americans.

See: “Black Americans Want Police to Retain Local Presence” BY LYDIA SAAD AUGUST 5, 2020
https://news.gallup.com/poll/316571/black-americans-police-retain-local-presence.aspx

Gallup found that 78% of Black Americans do NOT want police abolished. However, the vast majority favor changes, such as community policing to establish trust; greater accountability; not allowing officers who have repeatedly been abusive work as officers; more reliance on community organizations. Despite the Gallup title, these reforms do not appear that major. The more major reforms have less support.

See: “Most Americans Say Policing Needs ‘Major Changes’” BY STEVE CRABTREE, JULY 22, 2020
https://news.gallup.com/poll/315962/americans-say-policing-needs-major-changes.aspx

62% of men are satisfied by America’s treatment of women compared to 46% of women.

See:” U.S. Satisfaction With Women’s Treatment Remains Tepid” BY LYDIA SAAD, AUGUST 13, 2020
https://news.gallup.com/poll/317279/satisfaction-women-treatment-remains-tepid.aspx

Gallup panel is based on the responses of approximately 100,000 people. See: https://www.gallup.com/174158/gallup-panel-methodology.aspx

“BLM 101: The Lives Of Innocent Black Kids Don’t Matter” https://youtu.be/vAwGn1ej2gI

“KC community activist speaks after 4-year-old shot, killed while sleeping“. Link: https://youtu.be/uWTj14hFhzU

“Pat Clarke is Nominated from Kansas City, MO.” https://youtu.be/ZmGvPFhbShI

“Second chance gives man new approach on life” https://youtu.be/7HgmhKy8Ees

“Pat Clarke Interview Part #1” https://youtu.be/9aHFHPjavtg

Another, more traditional, survey of a random sample of 1226 adults, from June 8-July 24, 2020, by Gallup, asked about trust in INSTITUTIONS. The questions were poorly worded and wording matters a lot for surveys. They have “Great deal/Quite a lot” as two questions. What is the difference? And trust in them for what? What does it mean to trust military more than police as an “institution”? Does it mean trust for police powers? Or trust to defend from foreign invasion or trust in them abroad? It is very worrisome that many Americans seem to prefer military to police, especially as the US military is now recruiting foreign legions. However, the question of this or that as institutions is very abstract. A question about local police would be better, with more classic questions or even a percentage or grade ranking. To ask one question as “Great deal” and the other as “Quite a lot” sounds like this survey was written by someone who was foreign born and raised.

On July 21st 2020, Rasmussen reported on its poll of July 19-20, 2020 that 57% of black Americans oppose reducing police funding for their community (“Do you favor or oppose reducing the police budget in the community where you live?) compared to 69% of white Americans. Overall, 11% were undecided. Note that reducing funding, as the Rasmussen poll asks, and elimination are not the exact same thing.
https://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/lifestyle/questions/july_2020/questions_defund_police_july_19_20_2020 See: “Even More Now Oppose Defunding Police, Fear More Violence – Rasmussen Reports®” https://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/current_events/social_issues/even_more_now_oppose_defunding_police_fear_more_violence

BLM founders are not representative (not typical) of Black Americans. BLM protestor-rioters appear to be disproportionately white – a point most evident in majority black cities. One founder is Alicia Garza, who is apparently African American but identifies as Jewish, and married Malachi Larrabee-Garza, who is white and identifies as a transgender male; Patrice Cullors is married to a Canadian born woman, Janaya Khan, who is ethnic South Asian. Janaya Khan considers herself black, but America does not. And, her ancestors neither lived in the United States nor were enslaved in the United States. The third founder is Opal Tometi daughter of Nigerian American immigrants, whose ancestors neither lived in the United States nor were enslaved in the United States.

On the other hand, according to a much smaller (than Gallup) panel poll by PEW, a majority of Black Americans still support the BLM “movement”, whereas support among non-Hispanic White Americans has plummeted from 60% to 45%.

See: “Support for Black Lives Matter has decreased since June but remains strong among Black Americans“. By Deja Thomas and Juliana Menasce Horowitz September 16, 2020 https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/09/16/support-for-black-lives-matter-has-decreased-since-june-but-remains-strong-among-black-americans/

An important point that Civil Rights activist Andrew Young makes is that during the Civil Rights movement that there was order. Protests had a beginning and end. And, there were marshalls (within the movement) responsible for order (and safety), during the marches. “Ambassador Andrew Young speaks on Atlanta protests now becoming chaotic“(May 31, 2020) Link: https://youtu.be/aE5LJLWsScE

Andrew Young on the US Civil Rights Movement: “We Changed the World by Loving the Hell Out of Them”

“I was a civil rights activist in the 1960s. But it’s hard for me to get behind Black Lives Matter“. By Barbara Reynolds August 24, 2015 http://web.archive.org/web/20200523124555if_/https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/08/24/i-was-a-civil-rights-activist-in-the-1960s-but-its-hard-for-me-to-get-behind-black-lives-matter/

“OPINION: Lives must matter in a most-serious time for us all May 31, 2020 By Andrew Young “Former Mayor Andrew Young says that protests over law enforcement unduly distract us from the coronavirus epidemic and the economic damage it’s causing the city. “http://web.archive.org/web/20200609081516/https://www.ajc.com/news/opinion/opinion-lives-must-matter-most-serious-time-for-all/7iTWmC6UxZ5s53voGaE1eO/

“Opal Tometi (born August 15, 1984)… is a co-founder of Black Lives Matter.[2] She is the former Executive Director of the United States’ first national immigrant rights organization for people of African descent – the Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI).” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opal_Tometi NB: Based on online photos, Malachi Larrabee-Garza appears to be a white woman who identifies as a man.

Note that more survey details-stats-methods can be found at the above links. Rasmussen provides the question, but not full survey response/breakdown. For stats/statistical interpretation, sometimes the glass is half empty, sometimes half full.