The "Defund the Police" message is having a serious lack of context provided to the public. Most people just associate "cut police budgets because police bad", but the messaging is critical here. It's really a re-allocation of funds to police, health or community social services instead of dispatching or using police resources for cases that don't require their specific skillset.
I think this is right thing to do (especially with the rise in endemic drug use and mental health issues in urban areas), but this process needs to explainable, easy to understand, and transparent.
I think what's needed is a well-crafted pilot project of sorts to trial a new model of community service and policing, working together to address these issues. Then see where the strengths and weaknesses may lay.
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