Community security is important, and it's the sort of thing that you don't really realize is so important until it goes away and has been gone long enough that

Community security is important, and it's the sort of thing that you don't really realize is so important until it goes away and has been gone long enough that bad actors know they don't have to worry about it. Think inner city gangs, narco states, that sort of thing. You end up with de facto "security" provided by whoever is vicious enough to maintain local power hierarchies by force. The way that the police are organized in the US, and the way they operate, is causing lots of needless harm and injustice. To my mind, the big question is, how do we substantially reform those failings while maintaining (or, god forbid, improving?) community security? There are lots of ideas out there, but the US sadly doesn't seem to be in a place where broad and substantive reforms are likely any time soon. Perhaps some local governments will provide effective models of a way forward, I'm still holding out hope.