i would be more likely to support a broad, class-focused movement to defund the police than buy into a moral panic demanding retribution for the stupidity of a poorly trained officer, based entirely on blinding and dividing identity politics.

i don't see what's happening right now as having much revolutionary potential; it's classic divide and conquer, and exactly when the bankers need it, too. if they split you up by race and get you at each other's throats, they don't need to worry about protecting their property.

but, as previously mentioned, going after the police is the right tactic. that's what i want to see.

so, i support calls to abolish the minneapolis police - and calls to abolish the police, everywhere else. i'm an anarchist; i don't believe in policing. this is more my style, for sure.

but, i'd like to see some proposals as to what they want to replace the police with, before i jump on board entirely. if this was local, it's the kind of thing that would get me out of the house.

are they going to rely on state police, instead? that would be terrible, clearly. but, if they just defund the city police, it's going to be state and federal forces that take over. amongst other things, that's likely to create a constitutional crisis, as federal officers need to enforce federal laws.

is it essentially amalgamation by stealth, as the article cites in camden and compton? that would just make the problem worse, as you start shipping in officers from outside the areas they police, which is what happened in ferguson.

are they going to rely on religious groups and govern the city from the back of a koran or a bible? that would be a catastrophe that i would strenuously oppose, to the point that i'd actually go so far as to support bombing minneapolis to stop them from doing it.

what i'd like to see is a move to more community-based models of decision making, along with a complete end to a "standing army" type police force. the professional police should be replaced by something like a volunteer militia that only mobilizes when required. in order for that to be feasible, there needs to be a dramatic redistribution of wealth so that property no longer needs to be protected by force. but here's the thing: people have to decide to participate. in the end, it's up to minneapolis; if they'd rather stay at home, the bureaucrats will decide for them. which i think is a reasonable projection...

so i'd support abolishing the police, yes.

but, i don't suspect that is imminent, just yet.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/minneapolis-dismantle-police-department-george-floyd-1.5602543