Memo to Rashida Tlaib: We Will Always Have Police & Prisons

In response to the murder of Daunte Wright at the hands of police in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib tweeted:

It wasn't an accident. Policing in our country is inherently & intentionally racist. Daunte Wright was met with aggression & violence. I am done with those who condone government funded murder. No more policing, incarceration, and militarization. It can't be reformed.

My reply on Twitter read, "One can be angry at the killing of Daunte Wright without endorsing the sheer stupidity of Rashida Tlaib."

Indeed, I am appalled at what happened to Daunte Wright. A traffic stop for a low level misdemeanor should not result in a fatality. There is a significant problem with policing in this country especially where it concerns the African-American, Latino and Native American communities. The problem is such that there has been significant erosion of trust in law enforcement and law enforcement has been slow in addressing these concerns.

But the idea that we ought to have no more policing or prisons is just rubbish. Policing and prisons are a part of all functioning civil societies and always shall be. We can no more abolish policing and prisons than we can abolish food or water. If the state saw fit to defund and disengage from such activity someone else would fill the breach be it a private company or a street gang and turn a bad situation into a far worse one.

The fact of the matter is that people commit crimes. Granted some crimes are more serious than others. Those who commit serious crimes and represent a threat to the peace of the community must be incarcerated - possibly for the rest of their lives if the crime is serious enough.

I'm not going to argue that law enforcement and the administration of justice are carried out fairly. The punishment administered by the Brooklyn Center Police did not fit Daunte Wright's crime - if he committed a crime at all. But the abolition of police departments and prisons isn't going to bring about fairness let alone justice. It certainly isn't going to help the family of Daunte Wright let alone the family of George Floyd.

Congresswoman Tlaib's ideas are incoherent and irrational should be given just the attention they deserve.