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Communities that have suffered the cruelest consequences of our criminal justice system are choosing progressive prosecutors because they want the people in charge to see them, to recognize oppressive, racist structures, and to proceed with empathy. What about Hartford? (1/9)
2. We don't elect prosecutors in CT, and it's unlikely, if we did, that the statewide electorate would choose a top prosecutor attuned to Hartford's needs. But police are the gatekeepers for prosecutors, and Hartford is about to hire a new police chief. This is an opportunity.
3. For decades, our model of policing has focused mostly on making the city *feel* safe enough for the suburbanites who use it during the week, and alleviating the pressure that inadequate funding puts on other services:
4. We arrest more children in schools than we should because our teachers and school social workers are overburdened. We arrest sex workers and low-level drug dealers because we can't develop an economy that offers them better opportunities, and
5. we're unwilling to focus enforcement on the wealthier suburban customers who patronize them. We mostly push our own underserved sons and daughters into the system while ignoring those who exploit them.
We don't have to do it this way.
We don't have to do it this way.
6. Our police could have a policy of *never* arresting or charging sex workers. They could completely stop arresting and charging children for non-violent offenses.
7. They could stop running warrant checks during traffic stops, prioritizing the actual safety of our pedestrians over the further criminalization of our residents. They could choose to interact with our neighborhoods the way we do:
8. on foot and without firearms (with armed officers nearby and available if needed).
You don't have to agree with every one of these ideas to recognize that the way we police our residents is a policy choice, and we can think creatively about it.
You don't have to agree with every one of these ideas to recognize that the way we police our residents is a policy choice, and we can think creatively about it.
9. We already ask our police to do too much, in a way that is deeply unfair to them and puts them at odds with many community members. In choosing a chief, we should think about new ways to keep all of us safe without relying on a justice system that holds so many of us back.
