Interdependent Study

At its core, the nature of modern policing is flawed and not in alignment with social justice and collective liberation. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss The End of Policing by Alex Vitale, with a focus on how reforms to policing (and law enforcement and the criminal punishment system) are largely ineffective, often serve to continue or expand the reach of policing, and simply do not keep all of us and our communities safe. 

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It's time for part two of our conversation about abolition. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the second half of We Do This 'Til We Free Us: Abolitionist Organizing and Transforming Justice by Mariame Kaba, and examine the idea of what justice could be beyond our current criminal punishment system, the principles of abolition, harm, and accountability, what should be centered in activism and organizing work, and how an abolitionist framework can help us envision a better world for all of us. 

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While we've discussed abolition many times on the podcast, it's now time to dedicate two episodes to this important topic. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss We Do This 'Til We Free Us: Abolitionist Organizing and Transforming Justice by Mariame Kaba, and the key takeaways from the first half of this book around prison-industrial complex abolition and a vision for social justice and collective liberation. 

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We've all engaged in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work and trainings, but is it effective? Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss two articles on the DEI industry and its history and effectiveness, and examine a new approach to this work that emphasizes relational and culture change within organizations and may revolutionize this work. 

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Voter suppression is a violation of our basic rights and dangerous to our collective liberation. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the documentary "All In: The Fight for Democracy" featuring Stacey Abrams, which examines the history and present day conditions of voter suppression in this country, current work and activism to combat it, and steps each of us can take to stand against voter suppression.

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Maryland has become the first state in the nation to repeal its Law Enforcement Officer's Bill of Rights. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss a couple of articles from The Washington Post about the history and recent repeal of the Law Enforcement Officer's Bill of Rights in Maryland, police accountability, and the differences between reform and abolition in the conversation about policing and reimagining public safety. 

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HB 1 is now the law of the land in Florida, and it is fundamentally wrong. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss a handful of articles and media and react to the recent passing of HB 1, an anti-protest law that criminalizes peaceful protesting, silences dissent, demonstrates how established power structures fight back against movement work, and stands in direct opposition to our collective civil and human rights. 

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It's been six years since Freddie Gray tragically died in police custody in Baltimore. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the HBO documentary “Baltimore Rising”, which follows activists, police officers, community leaders, and the city of Baltimore in the wake of Freddie Gray’s death, and showcases the peaceful protests and uprising that took place as the city (and the country) awaited the trial verdicts of the police officers involved in his death. 

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Amplifying the stories and humanity of people with disabilities will help to both change hearts, minds, and attitudes and push us along on the path towards liberation for all of us. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the Oscar-nominated Netflix documentary "Crip Camp", which spotlights a groundbreaking and transformative summer camp for teenagers with disabilities and showcases the beginnings of the disability rights movement in the United States. 

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We firmly believe that reform is not enough---abolition is the only way that we will finally have safety and liberation for all of us. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss an opinion piece by The Washington Post's editorial board called "Reimagine Safety" and an article on the People’s World website called “Prison and police abolition: Re-imagining public safety and liberation” in a conversation about why we need to rethink public safety and law enforcement, what should be considered in the discussion of public safety, and examples of how we can reimagine safety in this country. 

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