The research, conducted by the Raleigh-based free-market think tank John Locke Foundation, comes a little more than a year after the eruption of Black Lives Matter protests worldwide that, at times called, for the "defunding the police." The protests were sparked by the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. Many people outraged by the incident called for rerouting police funding to support other resources. The Asheville City Council approved a plan in September to cut $770,000 from the police department, reducing its budget for fiscal year 2021 to $29.3 million. The council reallocated the $770,000 for animal control and noise ordinance enforcement, public safety data analysis, broadband for public housing, homeless outreach, communications and public engagement.