Welcome to Pathways to Liberation. Pathways to Liberation is an abolition-ish podcast where we explore police accountability activism and wrestle with the question: Could we possibly be safe in a world without police? You can take a look on our YouTube playlist, or tune in for a listen on our Libsyn podcast, also on Apple and Spotify. 

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In the summer of 2020, when Minneapolis streets were ablaze at night in protest of the brutal murder of George Floyd, it ignited a fire in the United States and abroad to make a bold stand against police violence. It was a powerful time. It felt like the scales were falling away from people’s eyes as we made a colossal shift away from the “few bad apples” narrative and collectively recognized that our model of policing is horribly and systemically damaged.

Then a group of organizers and City Council members took to a stage in a public park behind a huge “Defund Police” sign and vowed to dismantle Minneapolis’ police department. What followed has been an intense debate about the reformability of an institution thoroughly soaked in racism and anti-Blackness.

One form of that debate is taking place in Minneapolis right now. On Nov. 2, the residents of the city will have the chance to vote on a ballot measure—Question 2—that would replace the police department with a Department of Public Safety staffed by social workers, mental health professionals, housing advocates, and more, including police officers where deemed necessary. I am personally energized by the innovation of decentering police as the default public safety agency while not getting rid of them altogether. But many people are afraid of such a bold undertaking and would rather reform the devil they already know.

Over the past year, I have been having conversations with organizers and advocates about police reform and abolition. We here at Daily Kos have recorded many of those discussions and present them to you now. I’m looking forward to sharing this with the Daily Kos community!

Have you been involved in police accountability efforts in your community? Or any community response teams? Tell us about it in the comments below!