Defund the Police with Paige Watkins

Here in Detroit and across the country, people are self-organizing around the American legacy of police brutality. The call to defund police is being made and people around the world are responding.

Rallies and community meetings are occurring outside of the Detroit Police Headquarters prior to sustained protest actions. The democratic process emerging in these spaces has led to a list of vital demands from the City and Police Chief. Behind the scenes, organizers are holding the Mayor and City Council accountable for allocating city funds according to basic needs— according to a 'people's budget.'

The questions that have surfaced in the streets of America are bringing together young emerging activists and longtime radical thinkers to collectively reassess the oppressive role of police in Black communities.

In this latest episode of the Riverwise podcast, recorded on day thirteen of worldwide protests, PG Watkins of Green Light Black Futures helps us understand that abolition, for entrenched oppressive systems, is both "a long-term stretegy and a daily practice." We are seeing a radical shift in that greater numbers of people seem prepared to make the necessary sacrifices.

Thanks for joining us.

To follow up on PG Watkins's commentary, visit:

https://greenlightblackfutures.org/ and https://www.facebook.com/DetPeopleBudget/

Episode Notes

The Riverwise Podcast is bringing together Detroit citizens to consider new and forms of resistance to continuing economic and political marginalization in communities of color. For over three years now, the Riverwise collective has created media that depicts local activism and the profound new work being done in Detroit neighborhoods. Through the quarterly Riverwise magazine, Riverwise community conversations, and the Riverwise Writing Workshop, we're developing our collective voice.