The term “defund the police” does sound aggressive and abrasive. I’ve decided to start using the term “re-invent crime prevention” or something like that – I haven’t quite decided.
But remember again where we’re coming from. The police use terminology like “war on crime” or “war on drugs”. But we all know when we say “war on crime” what we really mean is a war on street crimes. We’re not talking about wage theft, embezzlement, environmental damage or any of the crimes rich people commit. Same is true for the war on drugs. It’s not a fight against alcohol or the predatory prescription drug industry or the opioid epidemic. It’s a fight against marijuana and crack and other drugs found in black communities. So all they hear is “war on black and poor communities”. It’s the politicians who made the police seem like enemy combatants. The angry protesters are simply continuing what they’ve been taught.