The problem is not overpolicing, it is policing itself
The tainted origins of modern policing are as a tool of social control. The best solution to bad policing may be an end to policing.
There are many myths to debunk when it come to the police. They do not make us safer. They are are not there to protect citizens. Police reform will not work. This is made clear again this week when a white Minneapolis police officer murdered an innocent black man, George Floyd.
Instead of condeming the uprisings in Minneapolis and around the country over another police killing of an unarmed black person, we should be condeming the actual looting of public welfare services while the billionaire class becomes $434 billion richer during the pandemic.
As Alex Vitale argues in The End of Policing, recent years have seen an explosion of protest against police brutality and repression. Among activists, journalists and politicians, the conversation about how to respond and improve policing has focused on accountability, diversity training, and community relations. Unfortunately, these reforms will not produce results, either alone or in combination. The core of the problem must be addressed: the nature of modern policing itself. The best solution to bad policing may be an end to policing.
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