O Pinions!

Doing away with police? Nice idea but how? Flesh this out!

Doing away with police? Nice idea but how? Flesh this out!
8 mayo 2020

A comment to Jean Sebastian: "There are many places in the world where police serve and protect without a Rambo and racist attitude of oppression. Vulnerable populations need to be protected at times. And no ... although most people are good most of the time it's not so simple. Explain to me how indigenous people in Costa Rica who have their lands invaded every year by Ticos (the dominant culture) are supposed to respond without declaring war. Same with urban gangs. Both situations are best handled by communication and negotiation ... but that's long term. Short term? Lots of violence. The typical "White" response is "fine" ... because ... "fine because I don't give a shit about 'those' people and we're better off if they kill each other." I'm not saying that this is YOUR attitude, but it's a very common attitude I've seen/heard/experienced throughout life. If you want to promote an idea it needs to be fleshed out (details) and critiqued by diverse communities. FYI (because you don't know me): I've lived in inner city communities (Afro-American for 17 years), been homeless (2+ years), lived in Costa Rica twice (visited 20 times... the entire country), speak English and Spanish (and a smattering of three other languages), have traveled to 44 countries, lived in 5 states, a member of the LGBTQ community. And needless to say I've made many mistakes and been proven wrong more than once. I'm not the expert you need to talk to but there are people out there who ARE and can help you take what you have to offer and make it work on a practical not just theoretical level. Then there are others who can help you express all this in a way that common folks can understand and embrace. Otherwise all I can do is share my experiences. And encourage you: Don't give up! Get working!"

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