In the wake of this verdict there are those in New African communities who are proclaiming it an instance of justice served. For communities that rarely see their killers and brutalizers prosecuted, it’s understandable any instance of a conviction would be hailed as great justice. You could argue that it’s a great justice for George Floyd’s family and it would be hard to disagree with that. But, as a victim of colonial brutality, George Floyd doesn’t just belong to his immediate family but to the entire movement for New African liberation. It was the entire movement, after all, that brought his murder to light. Which is why it’s crucial that we understand matters of justice and accountability not just in individual terms but in communal terms. . . .
Community Control of Police
Community Control of Police v Defunding Police: Addressing the Patriarchal Roots of Policing
Community Control for who? We still have too many hierarchies and contradictions within the Black community to ensure a subset of people with police power would not replicate the same violent institution power. The problem with policing is not who controls it or who can enforce its protocols. The problem with policing is that policing is inherently violent and always patriarchal. Campaigns like #sayhername (though co-opted/erased/reduced to now include #sayhisname) was a recognition that non-cishet men experience police violence. The violence may not be out in the open or in the streets, recording on a cell phone, or public in . . .
The Argument Against Community Control of the Police
In light of the recent Black rebellions that have shaken the nation into the summer months, two key positions on policing abolition have reemerged. Defund the police, which had enjoyed some surprisingly mainstream attention, is essentially the position that minimizing police department budgets is the first step towards the dismantling of police systems. And then there is community control of the police, a less mainstream, but still widely popular position among Black activists, that makes the case that police departments have to be controlled by the community before they can be dismantled. While proponents of community control don’t understand their . . .
Community Control Vs. Defunding The Police: A Critical Analysis
Originally published: Black Agenda Report by Max Rameau and Netfa Freeman (June 10, 2020) Defunding the police might end the armed and uniformed force as we know it, but the ruling class will then hire mercenaries to protect their wealth and enforce their will. The intensity and scope of the mass rebellion that has gripped the U.S. and expanded internationally has shaken global white supremacist capitalist patriarchy to its knees. The people have tasted a real sense of their own power and as a result some very unexpected developments have emerged. Among them is the demand to “defund the police,” . . .