Wednesday, September 30, 2020

abolish the police

It's not just that the police are infiltrated
By the white supremacist militia organizations
Including the FBI and all law enforcement 
The very institution of the police is racist 

The police exist at the intersection of race and class
Paid to protect white property and businesses 
Arresting poor and working people for the crime
Of showing any sign of resistance to their rule 

When Trump tells the Proud Boys to stand by
Speaking to the storm troopers he commands
While bragging about all his police endorsements 
He is talking openly of a post election fascist coup

When Biden talks of removing a few bad apples
While talking about good police and prosecuting offenders
He is openly promising more of the same oppression
Giving us once again the choice between bad and worse

It has come to this as the facade of democracy crumbles
Expecting the police may try to confiscate the ballots 
The demand to count every vote will become a rallying cry
Bringing huge numbers of people to march in protest 

A power struggle against the forces of repression
Mobilizing millions of people to oppose tyranny and seize the day
Must go beyond nominal democratic restoration to abolish the police
To constitute an entirely new force that truly protects and serves us