No charges being brought against the officers that shot Jacob Blake because there was literally no systematic change since this summer big surprise.
But I’m glad all the white people with ally fatigue and companies changed their Instagram to a Black square for a day
This really goes back to we can’t rely on the criminal justice system to actually provide justice. It’s created to BE unjust. The only way we get change that allows us to prevent police shootings is to abolish the system that demands the use of violence.
how do we abolish the system? what rises in its place?
I think people smarter than me have tackled this (namely Angela Davis for me personally but there’s countless others) but abolition in practice looks like a lot of small steps that are clear but hard under our current system. Slowly implementing restorative justice practices starting from schools to the criminal justice system, releasing nonviolent offenders and expunging their records, decriminalize sex work and drug abuse, defunding the police and putting that money directly into communities for mental health/healthcare, financial aid, affordable housing and after school programs. There needs to be a real redistribution of wealth through taxing the rich. Government officials need to not be brought by lobbyists (while it’s not as simple as lobbyist=bad) and remove corporate power from government through PACs.
Defund the police isn’t a catchy slogan, it’s a practical and political strategy to reimagine a world that is less policed, a small step on a greater path to abolition. Abolition isn’t like burn it down and then utopia. It will take time generations even to fix things but we must dare to imagine a world that’s different.
Hey Tumblr leftists: Notice how this person answered a reasonable question with a reasonable answer, even though the explanation is long and difficult and they have almost certainly been asked it a million times already instead of having a meltdown at the thought of lifting a finger to support their own cause. Notice that they provided a reference to a credible authority for further reading AND ALSO answered the question in this easily-accessible format, because that is a thing you can do. This is how you radicalize people. Take notes.
What you’re not going to do is use me, a Black lesbian, as a tool to shame others into doing what you think is best. Black people especially, who have been creating educational resources since forever, have provided free and accessible learning resources and sometimes Black people don’t want to sit and hand hold every white person facts and figures that have been public accessible since forever. We are allowed to decline being teachers and if I didn’t reply or didn’t give a detailed response, it’s on the other person not me to do learning. I replied because I wanted to for myself and others because the question intrigued me (and the person is a minor).
It’s funny that you used the word radicalize as I have another post about how that’s an active process that you need to be engaged in, even if and especially if people aren’t spoon feeding you everything. I know you mean well but putting me on a pedestal for teaching isn’t the wave. Everyone is responsible for their own education and yes we must build community through learning and helping each other grow but the demand that every Black person be a constant teacher is not the wave.
