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For everyone who asks, "What about the rapists/abusers?" re: abolishing police/prisons, I want to ask the same in return. What about them? What are *you* doing in your cliques, org, companies, families, with your loved ones who will likely never be reported to police at all?
Many look away every single day from the abuse & assault of their social and political circles, and are happy to displace the responsibility of dealing w/ sexual assault/domestic violence onto the police—the deadliest, most misogynistic institution in the country. Why?
"What about the rapists and abusers?" Ok, what conversations are you willing to have with your loved ones? What policies and processes have you formalized within your organizations, companies, and collectives? What boundaries are you willing to defend & enact when someone abuses?
"What about the rapists and abusers?" should be a rigorous question we should all be asking as a serious political inquiry in our formations. It should inform how we do this work, what we will & won't tolerate enable, how we actualize our commitment to addressing gender violence.
It shouldn't be a question that only comes up to defend the need for police, to use survivors as a political weapon in favor of maintaining things as they are.
Nor should it be a question that is glossed over by organizers who can clearly articulate all the ways police worsen the problem—but not take action steps within their own organizations towards making sure that there are ways abuse can be reported & addressed proactively.
This is clearly a convo worth having AND there are many who bring this up in bad faith while paying nothing but lip service to survivors. Thread was intended to challenge this dynamic, but I know many of us, survivors & organizers, are seriously asking this & working on it too.
Finally: the assumption only "bad" people get locked away in prison is a very damaging one. The majority of people in women's prisons are survivors of rape and domestic violence; most girls in juvenile detention are survivors of child sexual abuse and assault. See: @survivepunish
All of these survivors get locked up for self-defense or other survival acts that are then criminalized. See: Marissa Alexander. Nan-Hui Jo. Cherelle Baldwin. Aylaliya Birru. Ny Nourn. Kelly Savage. Bresha Meadows. And many, many more.
There are more survivors in prison currently than ever will be locked up for DV/SA. They are disappeared on purpose, which then affects our understandings of gender violence & safety. I speak with these survivors, some of whom are my friends & co-organizers, in mind.
Here are just a few of the stories of the survivors I have mentioned. They are all survivors @survivepunish fought/fight for, and many are members and my co-organizers today. They taught me violence against survivors in policing/prison is the rule, rather than the exception.
Marissa Alexander https://www.thecut.com/2017/03/marissa-alexander-case-stand-your-ground-florida.html #FreeMarissa
Kelly Savage https://truthout.org/articles/why-is-california-keeping-kelly-savage-in-prison-for-a-crime-she-didn-t-commit/ #FreeKelly
Nan-Hui Jo https://jezebel.com/the-people-vs-nan-hui-jo-domestic-violence-victim-bec-1710628347 #StandWithNanHui
Ny Nourn https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/599z95/after-abuse-and-prison-a-woman-faces-deportation-to-a-country-shes-never-been-to #FreeNy
Bresha Meadows https://www.huffpost.com/entry/bresha-meadows-thought-youd-understand_n_5da48081e4b087efdbb23973 #FreeBresha
Cherelle Baldwin https://www.huffpost.com/entry/cherelle-baldwin-murder-trial_n_56f1b0f7e4b02c402f659c84 #FreeCherelleBaldwin
Eisha Love https://www.glaad.org/blog/eisha-love-serving-jail-time-defending-herself-while-other-chicago-trans-women-are-being #EishaLove
Ky Peterson https://truthout.org/articles/trapped-in-a-transphobic-hell-ky-peterson-and-the-trials-of-trans-people-in-prison/ #FreeKyPeterson
Shantonio Hunter https://freeshantonio.wordpress.com/updates/ #FreeShantonio
Aylaliya Birru (JUST released very recently!! 
) https://theappeal.org/i-was-in-constant-fear-immigrant-faces-deportation-after-prison-for-domestic-dispute/ #FreeLiyah
) https://theappeal.org/i-was-in-constant-fear-immigrant-faces-deportation-after-prison-for-domestic-dispute/ #FreeLiyah
