Payouts range from multi-million-dollars to far less but the financial impact is often overlooked. One argument in the protests over policing is that funds for police could be better used elsewhere.

Efforts are growing to remove or reduce the role of police in responding to people in a mental health crisis. Critics and proponents alike say a widely adopted program has too often failed.

The "Get Your Knee Off Our Necks" march comes as frustration over police brutality and use of force have sparked national protests following the Memorial Day killing of George Floyd.

Tens of thousands took to the streets to demand change on Sunday, as incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko defended election results that international observers have decried as illegitimate.

The effort to quell violent crime has been marred by misinformation, and local activists say it's wrong-headed but others applaud the help from Washington, D.C., to fight a desperate homicide problem.