To reform a police system takes work, time, and money. Why this work, time, and $ must be spent on abolition instead of reform -- a thread. #abolitionnotreform
A lot of criminal justice researchers know firsthand — we get paid big $$$ through grants from various govt bodies and private funders who pay millions of $ a year in the stated efforts of reforming the criminal justice system.
A few of these same "reform" funders also fund workshops pushing cities to build new jails, fly military drones to provide police with aerial footage of majority-Black cities, or boost further hiring of police nationwide in the middle of protests calling for accountability.
These funders of “reform” have a vested interest in maintaining violent state structures while making them seem more palatable through surface-level changes. These small changes ensure the longevity of the larger body by polishing the exterior without addressing root issues.
The work, time, and extensive funding that goes into reform is largely ineffective. Studies and experience show that police who have gone through implicit bias training (cough cough MPD) don’t actually come out any less violent, &...
...prisons that have been in partnerships trying to improve conditions for incarcerated folks and their loved ones still continue to dehumanize, retraumatize, and deprive people of opportunities for growth.
Reform seems like a good thing. But take a closer look. Some reform is simple to critically deconstruct; for example, body cameras are supposed to foster accountability but ask yourself — who owns the footage? & who is the camera pointed at? infographic:
Other reforms r harder. Take mental health services inside prison. Reforms push to fund prisons to hire more therapists— can’t possibly b a bad thing, right? But what if, w that same $, we instead support community mental health providers who provide services to incarcerated ppl?
This is a national problem. We fool ourselves into thinking that we can research, train, and legislate an end to police murder. But police have shown us that they are beyond legislating and negotiating; our time and money is better spent elsewhere. #abolitionnotreform
We have to call for abolition of the whole system: prison, police and all. We reallocate the money that funders pour into criminal justice research into communities and livelihoods; we ensure a large-scale redistribution of funds into Black liberation and joy. #abolitionnotreform
We reinvest the vast funds currently spent on prison, police, & military-- into healthcare, housing, education, environmental protections, and community mediation; and reinvest our time into learning how to care for one another and create safety anew. #abolitionnotreform
Like @prisonculture said at @mumi_2019, abolition is already happening. It's within THIS lifetime. I'm new to this idea; organizations like @C_Resistance and @byp100 and @MPD_150 and so many others have been doing this for a while. Let's educate ourselves and...
support Black-led orgs and folks on the ground already doing the work. Open ur purse & call for funders who already have their purses open WIDE to move $ from incremental reform and continuation of state-sanctioned violence into community-based safety & care. #abolitionnotreform
