I think the frustration that led to "defund" is that a lot of sensible reforms have been resisted or watered down, and protections like qualified immunity have

I think the frustration that led to "defund" is that a lot of sensible reforms have been resisted or watered down, and protections like qualified immunity have sheltered abusive cops from accountability. For example: There was an article on Hacker News today about how an FBI program to track use-of-force incidents may shut down due to a lack of police involvement (https://www.washingtonpost.com/crime-law/2021/12/09/fbi-police-shooting-data/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/crime-law/2021/12/09/fbi-poli...). I think there is likely a de-escalation path that involves sensible reform, but it will also require that reform to be embraced and implemented by the police