You may have heard the talk of diversity, sensitivity training, and body cameras. These are all fine and applicable, but they understate the task and allow the citizens of this country to pretend that there is real distance between their own attitudes and those of the ones appointed to protect them. The truth is that the police reflect America in all of its will and fear, and whatever we might make of this countrys criminal justice policy, it cannot be said that it was imposed by a repressive minority. The abuses that have followed from these policiesthe sprawling carceral state, the random detention of black people, the torture of suspectsare the product of democratic will. And so to challenge the police is to challenge the American people who send them into the ghettos armed with the same self-generated fears that compelled the people who think they are white to flee the cities and into the Dream. The problem with the police is not that they are fascist pigs but that our country is ruled by majoritarian pigs.
About This Quote
About Ta-Nehisi Coates
Ta-Nehisi Coates was a contemporary American writer and journalist. Ta-Nehisi Paul Coates is a progressive American author, journalist, and activist. He gained a wide readership during his time as national correspondent at The Atlantic, where he wrote about cultural, social, and political issues, particularly regarding African Americans and white supremacy. Read more on Wikipedia →