I saw a piece on the NewsHour recently - interviewed a defunding enthusiast, a young black woman, and a retired police chief, an old white guy. The whole thing was very cordial, because the cop imo kept his kid gloves on. Her idea is that we’ll have an organization of social workers and community services that show up when you dial 911. I honestly found it to be jaw dropping in its utopian naïveté. The cop never really asked the crucial question, which is, to paraphrase Aliens, what do they use when people on the scene have guns, harsh language? He just kind of reached for middle ground, saying “I agree that social workers on the scene in some instances could be helpful.”

I don’t think this young lady represents Dem mainstream thought, but I think that’s where some of the least flexible idealists come down. I saw a Minneapolis city council member talk about very long transition to...whatever’s next. IMO local policy makers will hedge more and more about what “defunding” means.