4 minute read
Political Education Series: Abolition 101
In January, KFTC launched its first ever Political Education Series: Abolition 101. Rooted in police and prison abolitionist perspectives, this political education series depends on a curriculum that cultivates our collective imagination. When we come together to reimagine seemingly concrete structures in our communities, real change can take root.
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The need to create a curriculum for a political education series was recognized during the uprisings of summer 2020. In response to the killings of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and so many others, Kentuckians were called to take action. Amongst these calls to action, Kentuckians were also navigating new social justice movements, theories, and rally cries. A desire to understand these concepts more fully was voiced by folks across the Commonwealth. With the help of staff, members, and advisors, a Political Education library was compiled and a virtual educational series began to be developed.
The announcement of the Political Education Series garnered the interest of over one hundred Kentuckians. And since January, folks from Paducah to Pikeville have met monthly to participate in group discussions and gain a deeper understanding of abolitionist definitions and concepts. Most recently, the series hosted formerly incarcerated Kentuckians that shared their stories of overcoming the prison system in Kentucky. You can watch two of their testimonies at www.bit.ly/PoliEd-Testimony.
This curriculum intends to move us toward our vision: a Kentucky where all people can enjoy a better quality of life no matter where they live, what they look like, or how much money they have in their pockets. KFTC’s Political Education series will continue through 2021. If you’re interested in participating, please sign up at www.bit.ly/Political-Education.
Check out the content we’ve been discussing in our Facebook group! Open your camera phone and hover over the QR code to join.
Abolition 101: definition of common terms
Abolition: Prison Industrial Complex Abolition is a political vision with the goal of eliminating imprisonment, policing, and surveillance and creating lasting alternatives to punishment and imprisonment. (Definition from Critical Resistance at www.criticalresistance.org) Racism: A system of structuring opportunity and assigning value based on the social interpretation of how one looks (which is what we call “race”), that purposely unfairly disadvantages some individuals and communities, unfairly advantages other individuals and communities. (From Dr. Camara Jones, former President of the American Public Health Association) Prison Industrial Complex: The prison industrial complex (PIC) is a term we use to describe the overlapping interests of government and industry that use surveillance, policing, and imprisonment as solutions to economic, social, and political problems. (Definition from Critical Resistance at www. criticalresistance.org) Policing: The definition of policing is larger than most of us think when we say “police.” Policing can take many forms, such as local cops, sheriffs, School Resource Officers, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Patrol and the Dept. of Homeland Security, the CIA and the FBI, National Guard, neighborhood watch programs, plus all the technology and surveillance that all of these different types of police use. Incarceration: When we say someone is incarcerated, most of us picture someone sitting in a jail or prison cell. However, we also want to include some other forms of incarceration: juvenile detention centers, house arrest, ICE detention, and folks living in every phase of the deportation machine (living in fear as an undocumented citizen is its own type of prison). Defund/Divest/Invest: A political strategy with the goal of divesting/defunding (or taking money FROM) programs that no longer support us and investing in (or putting money IN) programs that will help our communities.
A GUIDE TO REFORM
Reform is a political vision with the goal of incremental change so as not to disrupt the status quo. We are currently living in a society reformed from slavery. There are some types of reform that actually move us further away from safer communities. Here is a simple guide for evaluating any suggested “reforms” of U.S. policing. Written by Mariame Kaba and published in Truthout, December 2017.
OPPOSE
proposed reforms allocating more money to the police
OPPOSE
proposed reforms advocating for MORE police and policing (under euphemistic terms like “community policing” run out of regular police districts).
OPPOSE
proposed reforms that are primarily technologyfocused. Why? a. It means more money to the police. b. Said technology is more likely to be turned against the public than it is to be used against cops. c. Police violence won’t end through technological advances (no matter what someone is selling you).
OPPOSE
proposed “reforms” focused on individual dialogues with individual cops. Individual dialogue projects reinforce the “bad apples” theory of oppressive policing.
SUPPORT
proposals and legislation to offer reparations to victims of police violence and their families.
SUPPORT
proposals and legislation to require police officers to carry personal liability insurance to cover costs of brutality or death claims.
SUPPORT
proposals and legislation for (elected) independent civilian police accountability boards with power to investigate, discipline, fire police officers and administrators. (with caveats)
SUPPORT
proposals and legislation to disarm the police.
SUPPORT
proposals to simplify the process of dissolving existing police departments.
SUPPORT
proposals and legislation for data transparency (stops, arrests, budgeting, weapons, etc.)
