> “You just don't know how things used to be before the police", which I think really misses what people are asking for ie: redistribution of grossly overbudgeted police departments to preventative

Or more likely they don’t think preventative measures work as well as you think they do.

Edit: Once you have seen acts of senseless violence - real cruel stuff - it is hard to believe that some people can be reliably rehabilitated.

Maybe that cruelty could have been nipped in the bud if they had received better care in the past - but that’s not a risk I would take with my community.