Why did I go from WMWP trepidation to vocal support for defunding the police? Two reasons.
First: Black. People. Are. Being. Killed. Every. Damn. Day.
We have to stop the murder of Black men and women, straight and gay, cis and trans, young and old, innocent bystander, angel, scofflaw, suspect, smoker, homeowner, reprobate.
Because none of those are reasons to be killed.
We have to stop the murder of people from marginalized and minority communities, people of color, indigenous people, people who live in the “wrong” neighborhoods, dress in the “wrong” style, act the “wrong” way.
Because none of those are reasons to be killed.
So first: Stop the bleeding. Stop the dying.
That’s where #8CantWait comes in – it’s a campaign “to bring immediate change to police departments” with a set of specific short-term solutions to limit the use of deadly force by people legally sanctioned to act with violence.
Wrap it up in whatever WMWP-approved slogan you want: Deescalate the police. Police the police. Train the police. Reform the police. Report on the police. De-bad-apple the police. Just stop the killing, stop the bleeding. Now.
But that’s only a beginning. And at best only a stopgap answer. Even Campaign Zero, the group behind #8CantWait, understand this (as witnessed by the note they added to their home page this week).
The most obvious limitation to this “reform the system” approach is that it’s already been tried. There are police departments all over the country that have banned chokeholds, mandated deescalation training, created rules around how and when and where it’s appropriate to use one kind of potentially deadly force or another.
And people are still dying.
Black people are being killed by cops on a regular basis. The protests that erupted after the death of Breonna Taylor didn’t stop it. The protests that erupted after the death of Atatiana Jefferson didn’t stop it. The protests that erupted after the death of Botham Jean didn’t stop it. The protests that erupted after the death of Stephon Clark didn’t stop it. The protests that erupted after the death of Jordan Edwards didn’t stop it. The protests that erupted after the death of Alton Sterling didn’t stop it. The protests that erupted after the death of Philando Castile didn’t stop it. The protests that erupted after the death of John Crawford didn’t stop it. The protests that erupted after the death of Tamir Rice didn’t stop it. The protests that erupted after the death of Eric Garner didn’t stop it. The protests that erupted after the death of Amadou Diallo didn’t stop it.
The protests that erupted after the death of George Floyd haven’t stopped it. The protests that erupted after the death of Rayshard Brooks won’t stop it.
The protests go on. The killing doesn’t stop.