[dr_petes]

Most catchy phrases can’t acutely articulate the meaning behind the message. People who argue to “defund the police” also mean use the funds meant to be distributed to the police force to other services that serve the same role, in a less harmful manner. But that messaging doesn’t stick as easily.

[DanHulton]

I think you'll find a lot of people who say "defund the police" quite literally mean it. Why do you need armed individuals with qualified immunity out there performing wellness checks, guiding traffic, taking statements, and doing investigative work? Why should these roles continue to fall under "the police"? And especially why should they continue to be done by an organization that continues to show just how disastrously poor they are at such things, when at least any other organization would at least start at zero, not negative?

The funds should quite literally be taken from the police and given to other organizations, even newly-created ones, that do not suffer from the baggage and the history of the police.