Though history books may say otherwise, policing in the United States has its roots in the slave patrols in the South. The institution of policing, and the larger justice system, must reconcile its past in order to evolve away from its racist roots.
Though history books may say otherwise, policing in the United States has its roots in the slave patrols in the South. The institution of policing, and the larger justice system, must reconcile its past in order to evolve away from its racist roots.
For anyone interested in a deeper dive, I encourage you to listen to this podcast miniseries in release order beginning at June 16 2020. If you listen out of order you’re going to have a bad time.
It details the history of US policing from its origins right up through the George Floyd protests, with references cited along the way. Fans may recognize Robert Evans as the host (from Behind the Bastards among many other things), and he’s joined for this series by rap artist Propaganda.
The two of them struggle a bit to get their co-host chemistry working at the beginning, but if you can look past that, it’s a fascinating listen, and the facts they cite are well documented throughout.
Slave patrols and Jim Crow are really just details along the way regarding the ongoing corruption and abuse of power rampant in US policing.