Until a week ago–heck, two days ago–I thought people who called for a dissolution of police departments were crazy fantasists. Sure, we should funnel more money into social work, education and other measures that we know actually prevent crime and improve the lives of our people. But defund the police? We do have laws, I thought, and we do need to enforce them.
I’ve changed my mind. Yes, as long as we’re an archist, as distinct from an anarchist, country, we need to empower people to act when laws are broken, but we need to start from scratch. The police of our country have always been pulled two ways: protect the ill-gotten gains of robber barons against the poor who press to receive their due, or protect the people’s rights? Be the legitimized face of white supremacist terrorism, or protect everybody? Act as judge/jury/executioner, or respectfully turn over suspected violators of the law to the courts?
This week they have chosen the evil path over and over, and it’s just one bad week in 250 bad years. Time for a new way.
Sermons in Stones 
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June 8, 2020 at 5:51 am
Ralph Roberts (@NTProff)
I have similar sympathies and am hoping that there is a chance for actions that could be as dramatic as refunding.However I don’t want to establish some of the conditions that yield the historic progression you describe. What U mean is I do not want to open ourselves to a libertarian project where we go in thinking that the conditions for radical change have been laid down only to see the result of that accomplishment has been finding another set of government jobs and duties we have let become privatized which is the source of the core flaw in the history of our polices system that you fer to in this posts. But I will take the lead toward defining over some ineffectual publicity statement with no credible ability to make lasting and relevant improvement nor to have anything close to the scope of reform necessary. So does that mean I am onboard. Not sure it quite does but I am on board with the scope of intended impact and the direction that defending points us toward in how we focus what should people be demanding in this moment.
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