EP. 07: Abolition, Art, and Activism

Photo courtesy of ThoughtPoet

Defunding and abolishing the police has become part of mainstream dialogue since George Floyd was killed by police in Minneapolis in May. This topic, though older than most folks recognize, has caused a lot on controversy for many reasons in local communities as well as nationally as we inch closer and closer to the Presidential election in November.

On this week's episode of the podcast, Chris "ThoughtPoet" Brown – photographer, writer, and BYP100 Chicago member – joins us to explore what it means to abolish the police, discuss his connection between art and activism, as well as the work BYP100 is doing on the ground to educate and organize folks around defunding and ultimately abolishing the police in their founding city of Chicago and elsewhere in the country.

Powered by RedCircle

Stay Connected to ThoughtPoet:

• Instagram: @thoughtpoet77  

• Twitter: @thought_poet77 

• Tumblr: thoughtpoetsopinion.tumblr.com 

• Website: thoughtpoetsopinion.com

Stay Connected to BYP100:

• Instagram: @byp100 

• Twitter: @byp100 

• Facebook: facebook.com/BYP100 

• Website: byp100.org

Stay Connected to Better to Speak:

• Twitter: @BetterToSpeak_

• Instagram: @bettertospeak_

• Facebook: facebook.com/bettertospeak

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/bettertospeak

• Website: bettertospeak.org 

Learn More + Take Action:

• The History of Police In Creating Social Order In The U.S. – NPR

• Are Prisons Obsolete? (PDF) – Angela Y. Davis

• Abolish Policing, Not Just the Police – Haymarket Books (Event/ Panel with Mariame Kaba, Maya Schenwar, and Victoria Law)

• Yes, We Mean Literally Abolish the Police – Mariame Kaba for The NY Times

• Defunding Vs. Abolishing The Police Explained In 6 Minutes – Joseph Capehart for BuzzFeedVideo

• Chicago-Based Youth Organizations: BYP100, Assata's Daughters, Let Us Breathe Collective, Good Kids Mad City – Englewood

Read the Transcript: 

The transcript for this episode is coming soon!