Thread by @AdyBarkan

Some reflections. Glad to be corrected by those who know more, or challenged by anyone.

These uprisings are good. And the police reactions are unveiling a deep reality.

The conflict is shifting political consciousness across the country.

And that is profoundly important.

The left is being radicalized. During first wave of #BlackLivesMatter protests & organizing (Trayvon through summer 2016), the demands were for accountability and police reform. Centrists were calling for body cameras. But even the movement was calling for modest changes.

Civilian oversight, inspector generals, racial bias training.

Meanwhile, some movement strategists were developing deeper critiques and demands. Marbre Stahly Butts and others developed a framework of "invest/divest" to shift money away from police into education/health/health.

The police brutality against peaceful protesters, like during the high civil rights movement, is awakening a more widespread recognition that the whole system is rotten at its core.

So demands are shifting.

The left edge is vocally calling for the abolition of the police.

And defunding police to invest in community is quickly becoming a mainstream progressive idea.

We are still very far from having the political power to implement these visions. We need many more city councilmembers who are willing to fight for smaller police budgets.

And we need mayors willing to stand up to the police unions. Right now we have basically none.

But these protests are unmasking the police state for what it is.

The left is being radicalized and even the center is starting to think differently.

Let's keep pushing.