Thoughts

[miss_ljv]

One thing that is both confusing and fascinating is what parts of this people in my own area (read: the Twin Cities) focus on, based on many different factors. A lot appears to be geography (in hotspots, suburbs, or distant), others, on principles or specific actions, personal context/experiences, and upbringing

Comments

[tigersinacage]

I had to push back on my mom a bit this week because she was kind of hung up on the looting in her area (the western suburbs of Chicago) and I'm glad I did. I think it helped her adjust her thinking a little because she does support the protesters (or we'd have much bigger problems) but she was fixated on the wrong thing.

Similarly, I did not know defunding the police was a viable option until this week. Ben and I had a really interesting conversation about it last night. It's pretty obvious something needs to change with policing.

[miss_ljv]

Fixated, yes! We need to focus on other things. Good on you for having that conversation. These are the ways we can effect lasting change within our circles.

Completely agree. And the fact that the Mpls city council members have acknowledged that it is something they are reviewing is vastly different from anything in the past.

[eyelid]

The police elect Bob Krull because they feel like he's on their side and no one else is. They're human too.

I feel like there's nothing especially wrong with the people who are police in our city - they're not cartoon villains, they're just like any group of people, some good, some bad, most in the middle. But like any group of people they need rules, good guidance on how they should be doing things, oversight, and consequences for bad actions or they will do lots of awful things. Which is what has been happening.

[miss_ljv]

One thing I'd like to add - I do think it's important to police where you live - or some sort of urban experience before becoming a police officer in an urban area. You really need to understand the community you work in

[eyelid]

I strongly agree with all of this. Well, except re: officers around here being rude - I haven't seen that myself. But again, I'm in a privileged position.

[leucocrystal]

I feel you on all this, and it's nice to be reminded that there are allies out there who aren't adding caveats constantly about property destruction. It's become very clear very quickly just how much more government and their police care for property over people, especially over Black lives, and I'm completely over it. As one commentator on Twitter put it last week, Black Americans have every right to burn down the country their built for free. I can't imagine the pain and rage they're forced to carry daily, and I have no interest nor right to question or get in the way of any of it, especially now.

I've personally been for abolition since I left criminology, which was over 10 years ago now, but I don't know that I ever believed it might be possible until this moment, which is amazing thing to consider. I hope this really is the start of a truly revolutionary moment, because the potential is finally there.