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Preston Mitchum, he/him Profile picture
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23 Apr, 4 tweets, 1 min read
I’ll always believe that our people will be safer without police. Always.
I reflect on this often. I’ve been saying this for so long and there are many people who have been saying this much, much longer than me.

Can I see a world without police? Absolutely. Will it be in my lifetime? Of course not.
Imagining it doesn’t mean I have to experience the benefits. It means it’s how I envision a world beyond myself and for my children and my children’s children.
Because I know this can’t be it. I know seeing Black and brown people be killed isn’t it. I know training isn’t it (particularly because it’s what’s touted as good). We cannot train people away from anti blackness.

All I’m left to do is dream. Let me do that at least.

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More from @PrestonMitchum

Preston Mitchum, he/him Profile picture
23 Apr
The problem is: we expect police brutality to always look like Rodney King, George Floyd, Philando Castile, and others who are bloodied and bruised. In many instances, it’s what we hope for because it makes our arguments and calls-to-action easier.
We believe this despite us only seeing one guilty conviction in years even after repeated brutality caught on tape — and that was just 3 days ago.

And this isn’t to minimize or diminish the obvious harm we’ve witnessed or that these people have endured.
But it does manipulate us into believing that we must be defenseless, choked out, kicked, and billy clubs hit over our heads for us to experience anti-Black police violence or for us to honor the lives of Black people who have been killed by cops.
Read 9 tweets
Preston Mitchum, he/him Profile picture
21 Apr
Ma’Khia Bryant being killed by the Columbus Police Department at the time we were awaiting a #DerekChauvin verdict proves our exact point about why this case was a drop in a bucket in the criminal punishment system. We need much more than police reform. We need abolition.
There were many things the police could have done to to de-escalate what they saw as conflict. But they don’t know how. The fact that many people can’t believe that to be true means the police have convinced us that there entire job is to kill first and ask questions later.
De-escalation does NOT require or demand using deadly force.

If the police only job is to kill people, then why do we need them? We could all do that.

The fact that so many people desperately believe the police HAD to kill a young Black girl is... exactly how it seems.
Read 7 tweets
Preston Mitchum, he/him Profile picture
7 Feb
ANYTIME we try to criminalize COVID (mask violation/home orders/etc.) it will disproportionately impact Black people more than others. Criminalizing public health doesn’t help anyone and in fact hurts more Black people. Criminalization negatively impacts public health. Period.
This isn’t hyperbole. As more research continues being conducted, we know what the data show. BIPOC—who are already bearing the brunt of the pandemic—are more likely to be policed and punished for COVID-related orders. Criminalization is not a solution. communityresourcehub.org/resources/unma…
What we must focus on is distribution AND administration of Black folks being vaccinated. It is important.
Read 4 tweets
Preston Mitchum, he/him Profile picture
22 Dec 20
It’s heartbreaking that we are so used to this country “giving” us crumbs that we are expected to willingly acquiesce to the little they give us. This is not about being thankful or grateful, but about political ping-pong that will always impact marginalized folks.
As if we don’t see billions going to “democracy programs” in the same places we’ve actively started conflict and war. As if we don’t see airlines being bailed out and as if we don’t recognize corporations being given billions.
And to be clear, none of this is just given to us, which is why conditions (taxes, income levels, etc.) have been placed on it as a condition of receipt. This is OUR money.
Read 5 tweets
Preston Mitchum, he/him Profile picture
22 Dec 20
I think... many people... don’t actually understand the Tuskegee Experiment.
Someone shared this but want to link again: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/you…

I’ve listened and you won’t regret it.
And I want to be very clear: we know there are specific reasons Black people have a mistrust for doctors and the medical profession. There is a history of racism, sexism, LGBTQ-antagonism, and fatphobia.

Medical racism has existed and in many ways still do.
Read 7 tweets
Preston Mitchum, he/him Profile picture
21 Dec 20
And y’all wonder why I criticize the Democratic Party.

And y’all wonder why I criticize Nancy Pelosi and say she has NO business being speaker.

Electeds argued over $600 and then called it a “significant” amount for families in this country.

This is a joke.
Of course people will say this was taken out of context. No.

She is speaking to the direct payment Democrats offered that Republicans did not, then called it "significant." This is what Pelosi and older Democrats do -- pivot to Republicans to make themselves seem like heroes.
And people are dying. I'm not about to argue about Nancy Pelosi and her statements. Under NO stretch of the imagination, should the word "significant" ever have been used. Ever. $1,200 was the compromise. This is not good, or a blessing, or life-changing.
Read 4 tweets

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