George Floyd’s death at the hands of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in the summer of 2020 ignited a wave of protests across the country calling for major overhauls in the U.S. criminal justice system. 

The phrase "defund the police" not only became a rallying cry but served as a litmus test separating moderates from the progressive left. 

The latter wing was adamant that the phrase shouldn’t be regarded as merely rhetorical. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., responding to proposed New York City budget cuts to the police department said they didn’t go far enough. 

"Defunding police means defunding police. It does not mean budget tricks or funny math. It does not mean moving school police officers from the NYPD budget to the Department of Education’s budget so the exact same police remain in schools," the congresswoman said in a statement.

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., went a step further, calling for the Minneapolis Police Department to be dismantled because it is "rotten to the root."