The phrase "defund the police" appeared a month or so after the first protests. There was an existing niche movement to abolish police and prisons that was smal

The phrase "defund the police" appeared a month or so after the first protests. There was an existing niche movement to abolish police and prisons that was small but organized in Portland and Oakland and online. At first there was no message or cohesive platform, just anger. The abolition movement had plenty of slogans and content for young folks frantically searching "social justice" on their phones. Also, police departments were flush with military surplus from excess war supplies and Homeland Security grants. So they showed up to the protests with tanks, full body armor, and automatic weapons. There was shock at those images that fed an older liberal response to "demilitarize the police". That was used to soften "abolish" to "defund". Coupled with some civic movements to shift budgets to mental health response instead of armed force, "defund the police" became a thing. Very few cities ever actually defunded their police. Minneapolis itself voted it down.