Read on Twitter
Just completely wild to look at the other side of this, into the upside down.
Truly believe that protests would continue peacefully and the violence dissipate almost immediately if the police just stopped showing up for work this week in every affected city. This ain’t working. https://twitter.com/nycpba/status/1266951186902659074
Truly believe that protests would continue peacefully and the violence dissipate almost immediately if the police just stopped showing up for work this week in every affected city. This ain’t working. https://twitter.com/nycpba/status/1266951186902659074
Better, of course, would be to have police who we think of as normal people —not heroes, not monsters— whose job it is to ensure the safety of all citizens and to resolve conflict in their communities into peace.
Violence would truly be the last resort & this solidarity normal: https://twitter.com/CamdenCountyPD/status/1266882383980216320
Violence would truly be the last resort & this solidarity normal: https://twitter.com/CamdenCountyPD/status/1266882383980216320
We would see more dialog and respectful interaction with citizens, intended to understand their concerns: https://twitter.com/pwoodreporter/status/1266865009017192449
It turns out that there are moments of this happening right now, which is great and should be encouraged: https://twitter.com/joshuapotash/status/1266926177878519809
But a more typical best case right now is something like we see in this video. No knees on necks (at least while on camera!), but otherwise the same tactics, the same default to violence, the same extreme division and dehumanization: https://twitter.com/steelbrooks/status/1266966177718427648
Unfortunately a more typical typical case is the complete alienation provoked by this batshit terrifying Robocop version of a Gestapo fetish outfit. Nothing could be further from projecting “safety” or “peace” or “part of the community.”
And then there’s all the outrageous initiation or escalation of violence by the police. (Anyone reading this will have already seen the videos & read the stories, so no links here.
So how do you change things, especially given what people in the “upside down” feel and believe?)
So how do you change things, especially given what people in the “upside down” feel and believe?)
No one is going to fight the police into changing. Local politicians can’t beat their police unions. Rebellion will be put down.
This is one of those knots where if you pull on it, it just gets tighter. Definitely, definitely vote … but that’s not going to solve it either.
This is one of those knots where if you pull on it, it just gets tighter. Definitely, definitely vote … but that’s not going to solve it either.
If the solution is to tear down this system and rebuild something else, I don’t see any path that doesn’t go through the House and the Senate and the Supreme Court.
We need the equivalent of many Browns v Boards of Education, many Civil Rights Acts, Voting Rights Acts, etc.
We need the equivalent of many Browns v Boards of Education, many Civil Rights Acts, Voting Rights Acts, etc.
It needs to be *possible* to prosecute police for the acts they commit in the line of duty.
Misusing the solemn/sacred power of the office to unnecessarily harm people should be a federal offense and count like a hate crime, increasing the severity of the underlying assault.
Misusing the solemn/sacred power of the office to unnecessarily harm people should be a federal offense and count like a hate crime, increasing the severity of the underlying assault.
We need to bury the concept of “law enforcement officer” and think “peace officer.” Ban police unions, as in the military. Create national standards for training, hiring & reporting. Comprehensive prison reform, sentencing reform, and a massive shift towards restorative justice.
All of that is going to take a lot of $$$ and time. Lobbyists, education campaigns, organizing, coalition-building, heart-and-mind-winning, phone-banking, letter-writing, pressure-applying … in other words: politics. And a lot of it.
Because there is no single constituency, no money at stake on the side of reform, and currently very little upside (but lots of downside) for the politicians that support change, it’s going to be a steep hill.
So: how? Here’s a short but very useful guide from @prisonculture:
So: how? Here’s a short but very useful guide from @prisonculture:
I’ve spent time on 1 & 2 over the last few years, and more and more on 4. I am blessed with lots of 3, including access to many powerful people with even more capacity.
There is a moment here. Feels like broader support than ever to make real progress on criminal justice reform.
There is a moment here. Feels like broader support than ever to make real progress on criminal justice reform.
My hope is that the energy and attention here can be sustained. It’s not all about CJR, but there is no single bigger systemic impediment to the freedom and liberation of all people.
