Discrimination in Underpolicing (Re: Note to the "ladder of force left"

Gordon Fitch gcf at panix.com
Tue Oct 23 19:01:23 PDT 2001


Nathan Newman:
> ...
> The bemoaning of state violence as THE problem is an odd libertarian tic
> that ignores a whole history of struggle demanding stronger police
> protection for oppressed communities. Chaos has rarely been the choice of
> such communities, however romantic some left intellectuals have found it.

I'll defend the libertarians (and some commies, too) by noting that an increased police presence in Black areas did not have the desired result. I suppose the libertarians would say that the Blacks ought to wield their own guns and form militias, just like the White folks at Lexington and Concord. This is not necessarily chaos, of course -- militias may be well-regulated. However, I think the forcible imposition of the American pattern of rich may have guns, poor may not, would creat chaotic conditions in the event they actually tried to do it. So I'm not actually making that suggestion, just noting that there are _theoretically_ other non-chaotic choices besides domination by lynch mobs and domination by racist cops.

-- Gordon



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