Geo Maher: A World Without Police + Nonviolence and Restorative Justice (Must-see)

Image by Chad Davis via Flickr

Dandelion Salad
September 9, 2021

theAnalysis-news on Aug 26, 2021

Geo Maher, the author of the just-released book, A World Without Police, talks about why the police are actually designed not to do what we think they are supposed to do, to “serve and protect” the general public, but actually serve and protect property owners and more generally those who benefit from racism and inequality. He goes on to outline what a world without police could look like.

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Transcript

A New Story of Justice: Nonviolence and Restorative Justice

MettaCenter on Aug 13, 2018

Can justice heal?

“[The retributive justice system] is the most powerful stimulant of violence that we have yet discovered.” ~ James Gilligan

Mass incarceration is one of the most painful issues in our society.

Clearly, we are approaching crime and how to deal with those who have committed a crime in the wrong way. No wonder people are getting interested in a different way altogether: Restorative Justice.

The indigenous people of New Zealand and other areas worldwide knew this; that instead of saying to offenders, “Hey get out of here” we should be saying “Hey, get in here.” Feeding our desire for revenge gets us nowhere; nor does meting out punishment. Restorative Justice is far better for the one involved in the crime, those immediately harmed by it, and the whole society that was torn, to that extent, by that wrong.

Punishment, however “just” it may seem, works by returning injury for injury. If the crime was a kind of violence – and in a sense it always is – so is the punishment. No wonder it isn’t working!

Restorative Justice embodies the principles of the exact opposite – nonviolence. No wonder it makes things better instead of worse.

Want to find out more? This animation is an introduction to the main principles; these pages list off some of the best resources available today – including practical tips for taking action!

Restorative Justice is an “upstream” solution that improves the whole social fabric and makes harmful behaviors less likely the more we practice it. We’re on the way to the future we all want!

This animation is part of a series on Nonviolence and the New Story, a collaboration between the Metta Center for Nonviolence and the Fenwick Foundation.

Learn more: Metta Center for Nonviolence: Restorative Justice Animation & Resources

Transcript

See also:

For A World Without Police

A World Without Police − a book review, By Christian Noakes

From the archives:

Lee Camp and Alex Vitale: Should We Abolish Police?

Abolishing Police and Abolishing Militaries, by David Swanson

David Swanson and Greta Zarro: How to Demilitarize Police

Chris Hedges: The Torture Machine: Racism and Police Violence in Chicago

Chris Hedges and William Robinson: The Emergence Of The Global Police State

William Robinson: The Global Police State, Capitalism and 21st Century Fascism

Chris Hedges: Origins of White Supremacy

Alex Vitale: Defunding The Police Is The Future + Anya Parampil and Frank Chapman: What Does Community Control Of Police Look Like?

How U.S. Imperialism Is Exploiting The World’s Growing Crises by Rainer Shea + William I. Robinson: How Capitalism’s Structural and Ideological Crisis Gives Rise to Neo-Fascism (Part I)

The Year of the Pig: Should Workers Support Police Strikes? (must-read)+ Caleb Maupin: Low Wages, Police Terror and the Necessity of Revolution

Charles Shaw: The History of Police Militarization in the U.S. (must-see)