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When Protesters Cry 'Defund the Police,' What Does it Mean?

Associated Press

   WASHINGTON - Protesters are pushing to "defund the police" over the
   death of George Floyd and other black Americans killed by law
   enforcement. Their chant has become rallying cry -- and a stick for
   President Donald Trump to use on Democrats as he portrays them as soft
   on crime.

   But what does "defund the police" mean? It's not necessarily about
   gutting police department budgets.

   Whatisthe'Defundthe Police' movement?

   Supporters say it isn't about eliminating police departments or
   stripping agencies ofall oftheir money. They say it is time for the
   country to address systemic problems in policing in America and spend
   more on what communities across the U.S. need, like housing and
   education.

   State and local governments spent $115 billion on policing in 2017,
   according to data compiled by the Urban Institute.

   "Why can't we look at how it is that we reorganize our priorities, so
   people don't have to be in the streets during a national pandemic?"
   Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza asked during an interview on
   NBC's Meet the Press.

   Activists acknowledge this is a gradual process.

   The group MPD150, which says it is "working towards a police-free
   Minneapolis," argues that such action would be more about
   "strategically reallocating resources, funding, and responsibility away
   from police and toward community-based models of safety, support, and
   prevention."

   "The people who respond to crises in our community should be the people
   who are best-equipped to deal with those crises," the group wrote on
   its website.

   Whatarelawmakerssaying?

   Sen. Cory Booker said he understands the sentiment behind the slogan,
   but it's not a slogan he will use.

   The New Jersey Democrat told NBC's "Meet the Press" that he shares a
   feeling with many protesters that Americans are "over-policed" and that
   "we are investing in police, which is not solving problems, but making
   them worse when we should be, in a more compassionate country, in a
   more loving country."

   Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., chairwoman of the Congressional Black
   Caucus, said part of the movement isreally abouthow money is spent.

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