The essays in We Do This We Free Us by Mariame Kaba provide details on the steps society could take to enter an era where communities wouldn’t have to rely on traditional policing. Kaba presents cases that display the unjust treatment of black people by law enforcement showing how police are anti-black. She also critiques the prison system, which fails in its job of containing violence. One of the observations that she mentions that caught my attention is that victims who are framed as criminals are thrown into prison, where the violence cycle continues. Along with that, prisons do not seek the rehabilitation of a criminal but rather focus on an “eye for an eye” system that aims to abuse a prisoner, thus dehumanizing them.
In the documentary, At the Ready, we see the youth of the community of El Paso exposed to the possibility of becoming a border agent. Through a school program, we see Latino youth seeking to pursue a career in this field. Watching this, I was initially shocked that these students were open to working as border patrols. However, I understood their justification of financial security as a reason for their involvement. Despite being seen as assets for the government and the discrimination they face for being Latino, it’s intriguing that these students continue to pursue a career in this field.
Both pieces give insight into what it would be like to have members of the community in a policing agency. Kaba makes a good argument on how police are deployed to handle any matter. Having specially trained service members who will respond to conflicts and are proficient in their task, leads to more effective methods of defusing a situation. On the other hand, the documentary shows a different motivation for having community members in a policing force. Latinos in the police force are seen as assets, and we see how programs attract students through financial promises. Students are influenced by the actions of the current police, becoming another rendition of the same police. However, we see instances, especially from Cassy and Cesar, expressing their personal beliefs. I find this difficult to find a stance on. It may seem that they are betraying their people, but then again, the students are simply seeking to improve their situations, and I don’t believe anyone can blame them.
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