We do live under an unfair paradigm, I think no sensible person would disagree with that. But to “abolish the police” means to completely eliminate a part of that paradigm with nothing yet set up to replace it. The entire nation, hell, most of the world, needs a new paradigm, but that doesn’t happen in an instant, no matter the level of anger. Slavery wasn’t abolished regardless of the anger against it, until after decades of said anger and anger didn’t accomplish ending slavery; Lincoln did as a military way of winning the war with slave-owning states. Women didn’t get the right to vote as soon as many people became angry about it- it took a long-running period of suffrage to make that change to the Constitution.
Child labor and the many deaths of children didn’t change overnight because of angry people about it but child labor laws were finally passed under FDR. The union movement, which brought so much good, didn’t happen because a lot of workers were angry, mistreated, cheated and killed. And many men were actually killed for advocating for Unions. That didn’t happen until FDR pushed for it. Social Security didn’t happen because people were angry at seeing older people, unable to still work, typically ended up in poverty and hunger. It passed because a very rich man, FDR, angered his fellow rich people and pushed for it and overcame Republican’ resistance. Medicare didn’t happen because people were angry. It, along with the Civil Rights Act, only became law after a years long push for both. The horrible situation of untrained, racist police was that way for most, no all, of the 20th century but grew far worse beginning with Reagan, as did the attack on Unions.
Yes, it’s right to be angry but better when that anger is focused into changing what doesn’t work and is deeply unfair. And that simply doesn’t happen overnight. Use your well-justified anger and design a system to replace police departments and then push to have your alternative implemented.
It makes no logical sense to be angry and burn down your house when you haven’t even secured a replacement for it. To do that is as bad as “throwing out the baby with the bath water”.
Design and offer alternatives to the current way of policing the community and offer that plan. Anger is not required to get things done; patience and hard work is and many people outside of any job underestimate just how difficult the job is and in creating a new paradigm and anger alone doesn’t do it.
Of course I emphasize with the writer to whom I responded and feel bad that she can’t trust the police. I truly hope things will improve for her, and all POC, soon. But anger only hurts the person who is angry; it gets nothing accomplished and can even lead to worse conditions. I’ve known, and know, people who’ve had to live in housing “projects” and it’s a sad way to be forced to live. But saying “F the police’ and ‘F you feelings’ is NOT the way to bring about change. Offering sensible alternatives is the best/only way to change the paradigm under which we live, and suffer, under.
I did not “patronize” the writer nor “preach” to her about how she should feel. I deeply empathize with her plight but I stand by my belief that being angry without offering a better way to do things that anger you is simply useless anger. Anger begets hate and it takes far more than anger to bring about change.
