The “Carceral State” is the Enemy
The current wave of protest is correctly “targeting the commodification of Blackness by the state,” said Dr Brittany Friedman, a Rutgers University sociology professor at the Program in Criminal Justice. “We do not need the carceral state to save us, because the carceral state is the one that is killing us,” said Friedman.
Blacks Will No Longer Be “Chumps” for the Democrats
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms showed her true colors when she berated protesters, said Trinity College sociologist Dr Johnny Williams. “She is part of that Black liberal politician wing that believes they can play with the system and get what they want, but everybody else is denied,” he said. “The Back community has been a loyal constituency of the Democratic Party, but we get nothing. This is the moment when we stop being chumps.”
Community Control of Police Vs Impunity
“Until our Black and brown communities get control of the police, they are going to continue to murder us with impunity,” said Frank Chapman, chair of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. “There’s a rebellion going on in this country,” said Chapman, “a rebellion led by Black people because it’s Black people who are catching the brunt of police repression.”
Abolitionists Drew Blood in Fighting Slavery
“It was fugitive slaves, who were violent in defending themselves against slave-catchers, who pushed abolitionists towards militant and sometimes violent tactics,” said Duke University historian Jesse Olavsky. The abolitionist movement was, at its core, quite radical, said Olavsky, author of a recent article titled “Women, Vigilance Committees, and the Rise of Militant Abolitionism, 1835 – 1859.
Black Agenda Radio on the Progressive Radio Network is hosted by Glen Ford and Nellie Bailey. A new edition of the program airs every Monday at 11:am ET on PRN. Length: one hour.
Rather than benevolent protector, the state enables and often perpetuates violence against marginalized communities, criminalizing them.
The racism of the larger society is internalized in us, including those of us who are Black and brown, and must be methodically confronted.
Incarcerated people are limited to pushing prison reform, while the unincarcerated have the privilege to advocate abolition.
“It’s a war against the prisoners, but also a war against knowledge and, ultimately, the Constitution, itself,” said Mumia Abu Jamal, the nation’s best known political prisoner, ch
