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What Defunding the Police Really Means

Masood Farivar

   Amid continuing U.S. protests over George Floyd's death while in the
   custody of the Minneapolis police, a contentious new slogan is
   competing with "Black Lives Matter" and "I Can't Breathe": "Defund the
   Police."

   Long a core demand of activists on the far left, "defunding the police"
   has entered the national lexicon as protesters press for structural
   reform to end political brutality and endemic racism in the criminal
   justice system.

   But what does "defunding the police" mean? The answer depends on whom
   you ask.

   While most protesters take it to mean a reallocation of police funding
   to social services, a smaller group of activists has gone further,
   calling for the complete defunding and even outright elimination of
   police departments.

   Until recently, the concept of defunding police departments was not a
   major part of the national debate over criminal justice reform, said
   Clark Neily, vice president for criminal justice at the Cato Institute,
   a libertarian think tank.

   But while a handful of cities have announced plans to slash their
   police budgets, Neily said he does not expect the movement to lead to a
   significant drop in police spending in the country.

   For one thing, police and other law enforcement officials constitute
   one of the most influential lobbies in the country, according to Neily.

   "And of course, they will deploy that power to protect their budgets,"
   he said.

   Here are six key questions about the "defund the police" movement.

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