"Defund the police" means something different to everyone, but the common theme involves cutting funding from police department budgets and, instead, investing in social programs to address underlying issues like mental health and addiction.
What's happening: In Minneapolis, the Park and Recreation Board, the University of Minnesota, the public school system, and museums and venues have ended or limited their relationship with the police department, the Star Tribune reported.
Last week, the Baltimore City Council approved a $22.4 million budget cut for the police department.
The Portland City Council cut $15 million from its police budget earlier this month. $5 million of that would be put toward a new program that sends unarmed first responders to answer homelessness calls.
Philadelphia cancelled a planned $19 million increase for the police department and shifted $14 million of the police budget elsewhere — including affordable housing.
The city council in Hartford, Connecticut voted to cut or reallocate $2 million of its police budget.
In Seattle, every department budget is being trimmed by around 10%, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan told Axios' Dan Primack on the Re:Cap podcast. "We have to reallocate parts of the budget to take things out of the police department that shouldn’t be there ... We have to rethink what remains in the police department," Durkan said.
Other cities where officials are calling for changes, according to Local Progress, include San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, Oakland, Milwaukee, Denver, Durham, Winston-Salem, Chicago, New York City and D.C.
What they're saying: "What is really inspiring is really seeing this movement in city after city after city really working to define for those places what public safety looks like, and what our budget should look like," Local Progress director Sarah Johnson told Axios. "It's kind of a reflection of our values as a society."
Yes, but: The "defund the police" movement is also strongly polarizing: 53% of Americans have an unfavorable view of the movement, compared to just 34% who view it favorably, according to an Axios-SurveyMonkey poll. (The split becomes narrower when the words "defund the police" aren't used.)
What to watch: While the "mood is ripe for change" in Eugene, Ore., "our city government is not designed for immediate reaction," said city council member Greg Evans.
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