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The Limits of Police “Reform”

When elites get to define the problem, they get to decide what constitutes solving it.

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This week on CounterSpin: Corporate media often describe the country as being “roiled by” police brutality, or as “grappling with” racism in the criminal justice system. But when elites get to define the problem, they get to decide what constitutes solving it — and for many people, that makes for too shallow a conversation when it comes to policing. We’ll talk about the limits of police “reform” with Alex Vitale, associate professor of sociology at Brooklyn College, and author of City of Disorder: How the Quality of Life Campaign Transformed New York Politics, and of the forthcoming The End of Policing.

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We also take a look back at recent press, focusing on the airstrikes against Syria.

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Defying Trump’s right-wing agenda from Day One

Inauguration Day is coming up soon, and at Truthout, we plan to defy Trump’s right-wing agenda from Day One.

Looking to the first year of Trump’s presidency, we know that the most vulnerable among us will be harmed. Militarized policing in U.S. cities and at the borders will intensify. The climate crisis will deteriorate further. The erosion of free speech has already begun, and we anticipate more attacks on journalism.

It will be a terrifying four years to produce social justice-driven journalism. But we’re not falling to despair, because we know there are reasons to believe in our collective power.

The stories we publish at Truthout are part of the antidote to creeping authoritarianism. And this year, we promise we will kick into an even higher gear to give you truthful news that cuts against the disinformation, vitriol, hate and violence. We promise to publish analyses that will serve the needs of the movements we all rely on to survive the next four years, and even build for the future. We promise to be responsive, to recognize you as members of our community with a vital stake and voice in this work.

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