Biden faces balancing act as activists call to 'defund the police'

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said Monday he opposes “defunding the police,” declining to embrace a rallying cry that has gained support among progressive activists and protesters demonstrating against police brutality.

The growing calls to dismantle or reimagine U.S. police departments have put pressure on Biden and other Democratic leaders, who favor policing reforms but are wary of adopting a loaded phrase that some Democrats fear could be a divisive election issue.

President Donald Trump and other Republicans have seized on the “defund the police” slogan to suggest Democrats are bending to extremists at the expense of public safety.

The term is being used by activists to propose eliminating or cutting spending on police departments, often the largest expense for municipalities, and instead funneling the money to programs for education, social welfare, housing and other community needs.

Protests have roiled U.S. cities for more than two weeks since the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, after a white Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for almost nine minutes.

Biden, the former vice president, met with Floyd’s family in Houston for more than an hour on Monday to offer his sympathies.