As we continue to seek opportunities to learn, mourn, and take action in light of the continued police violence against Black Americans and the loss of lives, including Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Rayshard Brooks, and violence against people like Jacob Blake, the Segal Fellow community has opened lines for discussion and action around the #defundthepolice movement. On August 19, 2020 Segal Fellows met to discuss what defunding the police really means and would entail. We are grateful to Fellow Gabriel Fontes for leading this conversation and sharing many of the resources below and to all of the Fellows who have asked to continue this conversation about policies and actions.
Resources from Conversations Surrounding the #defundthepolice Movement
Some of the Fellows inspired to act by our August 2020 #defundthepolice conversation
Below are a list of informational and actionable resources gathered from Fellow-led conversations on the #defundthepolice movement. While this list is not comprehensive and does not necessarily represent the views of the Segal Program or Brandeis, it does represent items shared with us by Fellows and partners that they have found useful in their learning and action.
- Frequently Asked Questions regarding the reasoning and merits for #defundthepolice
- Reformist versus Abolitionist positions on police reform.
- Police “Reforms” You Should Always Oppose (Prison Culture)
- The George Floyd Killing in Minneapolis Exposes the Failures of Police Reform (The Intercept)
- Black Cops Are Just As Likely As Whites To Kill Black Suspects (PS Magazine)
- The Camden Police Department Is Not A Model For Policing In The Post-George Floyd Era (The Appeal)
- The Rush to Redefine "Defund Police" (The New Republic)
- The Root: How American Slavery Helped Create Modern Day Policing:
- How Cop Shows Lie (Trevor Noah):