Biden Said, ‘Most Cops Are Good.’ But Progressives Want Systemic Change.

In a virtual convention this week that is heavy on personality and light on policy, Democrats have presented a unified front on issues of racial justice, declaring that the status quo is not acceptable.

Not far beneath the surface, however, lies broad disagreement over policing, with the reform-oriented proposals of Joseph R. Biden Jr., the party’s nominee, falling well short of the demands of progressive activists who believe that police departments need to be significantly downsized or abolished.

The gap between Mr. Biden and his party’s progressive flank was evident in a line he delivered during a discussion on the Democratic National Convention’s opening night: “Most cops are good, but the fact is, the bad ones need to be identified and prosecuted.” It struck an array of activists as discordant at a moment when the police killing of George Floyd has spurred nationwide calls for transformational change.

Progressives say they see an unprecedented will and momentum to transform policing that they can’t let slip away in an election year. Having a standard-bearer who is not fully committed to the kind of fundamental change they believe is necessary could be problematic, they said.