Maybe "reform the police"? It doesn't drive home the urgency like defund but it also doesn't scare regular people and lead to ads from Republicans depicting a dystopian society without police.
Defund the police was done spontaneously. BLM is an actual corporation so everything is more calculated from the font they use to the messaging, etc. They actually have people in six figure roles in charge of shyt like messaging, media outreach, etc.
Like I said, I personally have a problem with it because it's too soft. But I recognize the genius in it because it's a balance. I'd prefer something like "Black Power" but that scares even liberal cacs. Using "matter" lowers the bar but it also points out he hypocrisy of the other side. Cacs can't even admit our lives matter without getting upset.
"Defund" is terrible from a marketing perspective and anyone saying otherwise is being obtuse.
Your saying that now. When it came out initially and years after the trolling with "all lives matter", so "only" black lives matter and the coli takes like yours that says it's too "soft". It really didn't have the mainstream pull until this year.
"Defund" is terrible from a marketing perspective to those who don't care or understand the purpose. You keep falling into the trap that somehow soft-framing the issue further, will somehow garner more support when we all know that's not true. The people that don't see any issue with the problems with institutional law enforcement abuses aren't going switch up just cause.