2020 Uprisings

Will Buffalo Change Anything?

David Hogg and Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz discuss replacement theory, the gunman’s manifesto, and how we organize against violent white supremacy.

America as a Tactical Gun Culture

The militarization of gun culture in the United States reflects an increasingly energetic defense of white rule.

Police Violence Is a Disability Justice Issue

More than half of disabled people experience long-term poverty, increasing the chances of violent police encounters.

Abolition Isn’t Only About Police

We also need to abolish prisons—as well as put an end to counterterrorism. An abolitionist reading list. 

Reclaiming the Power of Rebellion

Derecka Purnell interviews historian Elizabeth Hinton about her new book and how talk of “riots” discredits Black political demands.

Angels of History

In the 1974 cult-classic teleplay Penda’s Fen, the past holds the key to escaping the catastrophic present.

Derek Chauvin and the Myth of the Impartial Juror

What should “impartiality” mean for jurors in a historically unequal criminal legal system?

Getting to Freedom City

A culture of protest takes hold in 1960s LA.

Is Freedom White?

Talk of American freedom has long been connected to the presumed right of whites to dominate everyone else.

Where Do We Go From Here: A Fundraiser for Black Lives

A transcript of our panel discussion on the Black Lives Matter movement.

The Racist Foundation of Nuclear Architecture

On the 75th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, it is clear that white supremacy sustains the U.S. nuclear arsenal.

Tearing Down Black America

In the mid-twentieth century, city governments, backed by federal money, demolished hundreds of Black neighborhoods in the name of urban renewal.

The Revolution at the Gate

The McCloskeys are also only a symptom of how racism is served by private property.

How the Law Killed Ahmaud Arbery

In many states, legal regimes sanction the predictable murder of innocent black men. Justice will not be served until the law changes.

The Problem Isn’t Just Police—It’s Politics

Sociologist Alex Vitale explains how the U.S. policing crisis begins with politics—the decision to embrace neoliberal austerity and to turn the social problems it creates over to police.

Getting Judges on the Side of Abolition

Success in transforming the criminal justice system will depend on convincing judges to shift how they relate to—and rely upon—police in their criminal courtrooms.

How Police Abuse the Charge of Resisting Arrest

The moment Floyd’s resistance would become lawful is precisely the moment it is too late.

Policing the World

The link between modern policing and the U.S. national security state means they will have to be democratized together.

Accept Nothing Less Than Police Abolition

Reform efforts drain public money that could instead have been invested in caring for communities.

End Qualified Immunity

We need not wait for Congress or the Supreme Court. State attorneys general and city law departments can—and should—lead the charge themselves.

A New Age of Protest Music

Through online fan communities and digital platforms like TikTok, popular music is finding powerful new ways to shape everyday activism, protest, and resistance.

Hold Prosecutors Accountable, Too

In order to achieve lasting change, we must remedy systemic problems across the criminal justice system—not just among police.

Black Bereavement, White Condolences

“This sudden attention to the ongoing grief of black life can also feel like a slap in the face. Didn’t you notice we were dying?”

In the Fight for Policing Reform, LGBT Is a Threadbare Alliance

White gay men and trans women of color often have little in common.

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