Populism is never sufficient justification for regimes that govern all citizens. It doesn't take pluralism & liberalism seriously. It relies on a majoritarianism that routinely tramples minority rights. Bureaucracies that protect against populism are complicated, but not elitist. https://twitter.com/avitale/status/1323649881307815936

The big problem is that one of policing's principal functions in a democracy is to be the last ditch that protects people's rights from the imperfections of majoritarianism and the threat of populist movements. It doesn't do a good job of this, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't.

Without a government that can broker and enforce the fair terms of cooperation in public spaces and protect people's rights from populism, we'll end up with the following things determining whose conception of the good will prevail as people go about their lives: (cont'd)

Whoever (choose more than one if need be): 1) Gets there first 2) Has the majority on their side 2) Is able to intimidate 3) Can impose a forms of stigma or bias on others 4) Has more money and access to private means 5) Is able to exert informal social control 6) etc.