There is now an entire initiative starting around literal abolition (one of their proposals is for police budgets to eventually get to 0). So for those who said I was getting it wrong or getting caught up in semantics...nope.
Kinda ironically, the abolitionists link to a more moderate and reasonable set of policies that they actually oppose.
But these reforms look so much more reasonable. They're things police departments could implement that seem like they could drastically improve the situation. Like many advocacy groups, even this more moderate group overstates the evidence, but the "8 Can't Wait" org seems worth throwing one's weight behind.
I at least appreciate that some abolitionists are articulating concrete policies. Now we can have a conversation.
I've been seeing a lot of (actual credible researchers and policy-adjacent) people on Twitter advocating for abolition--literally, completely getting rid of, the police. But none of them really explain what a post-police society actually looks like...
Maybe I am just not progressive enough anymore but I legitimately cannot wrap my head around what this looks like in practice and how we don't just descend into anarchy without any police. Can anyone help explain?
Doltish idea.
Kinda ironically, the abolitionists link to a more moderate and reasonable set of policies that they actually oppose.
But these reforms look so much more reasonable. They're things police departments could implement that seem like they could drastically improve the situation. Like many advocacy groups, even this more moderate group overstates the evidence, but the "8 Can't Wait" org seems worth throwing one's weight behind.
https://8cantwait.org/
I at least appreciate that some abolitionists are articulating concrete policies. Now we can have a conversation.
Yeah, I think that's the point of this new abolition group, that they say the 8 Can't Wait policies are too moderate and won't do anything. Hence how all this (including this thread) got started.
Come on guys. It's been a while since we've had a public debate about how late modern societies could be organized differently. This is healthy.
I completely agree that this is an important conversation and that we shouldn't be overly constrained by how things are at-present when imagining how things could be done differently. That's what makes discussions about -- for instance -- universal basic income great.
My objection anyway is that activists are using this "defund / abolish the police" line as a dogma that if you don't endorse makes you complicit with police brutality. You may not think the '8 can't wait' policies aren't good enough. Okay. Propose more radical reforms if that's what you think the country needs.
But framing your movement as fundamentally opposed to one of the most trusted American institutions is a losing strategy and they WILL NEVER get past this obnoxious messaging discussion as long as they rally around such an extreme slogan.
^ law enforcement would still respond to homicides and do investigations and question people. "the police" as an occupying inimical force in poor urban places do not prevent murders.
plz re-think your understanding of "defunding" the police or better yet learn what is actually meant by it.
^ law enforcement would still respond to homicides and do investigations and question people. "the police" as an occupying inimical force in poor urban places do not prevent murders.
plz re-think your understanding of "defunding" the police or better yet learn what is actually meant by it.
"occupying inimical force in poor urban places do not prevent murders." LOL
please start thinking and start learning.