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Comment by couchand | Hacker News Reader

I was working a shift at the coop on Monday and was pleasantly surprised when two women in extravagantly oversized, feathered and sequined outfits came in on their way home from the parade. So yes, I do live in this community.

I don't think anyone denies that there is often crime and violence in Flatbush, Brownsville, Crown Heights, and other neighborhoods around the parade route. In particular, it's a stretch to assume that everyone giving you downvotes "doesn't want to accept reality".

For my part, I wonder about the most effective way to reduce incidences of violence in our community. I know that these are some of the neighborhoods that have systematically been denied investment, perhaps that has a part to play? Also, these neighborhoods have experienced the brunt of overpolicing in our community for quite a long time. Somehow I don't think that the answer is more police. I don't think the answer is normalizing this appalling and illegal move.

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What alternatives do you propose other than enforcement?

What sorts of investments do you believe will directly and effectively curb violence and crime?

What does underinvestment have to do with J’Ouvert crime specifically?

I suggest that we work to bring about a world where policing is unneccessary, even unthinkable. I refuse to accept the premise that we must consider any individual event in isolation -- we are all connected and all of our struggles our connected.

For this to work we have to start by taking a sober look at the history of the concentration of power under capitalism, and how the use of force by the police has repeatedly and systematically kept the masses under control.

We have to analyze the true root causes of crime, and work to eliminate those forces. It is not only immorral, but simply impractical, to make any attempt to address broad social unrest solely at the point where symptoms arise.

You’ve offered no specific or practical alternatives, just idealistic babble, and are yet calling for the scaling back of direct and actionable enforcement.

People like you, the political climate you create, and the policies you vote for, are largely why our cities are devolving.

Agreed. There are legitimate reasons to have enforcement. The problem is the peace officer part has been divorced from the role. Getting rid of the role of a peace officer is not a good idea.

Enforcing peace (where peace is not defined solely by white landowners) has _never_ been the role of the police officer in America.

It's troubling that you seem to expect a succint answer to a huge and complex problem, and you immediately write off any ideas that ask you to think first.

> our cities are devolving.

Turn off fox news and visit any of them and you'll see that American cities today are experiencing a rennaissance.

https://www.amazon.com/No-More-Police-Case-Abolition/dp/1620...

If you're actually interested and not just asking someone to elaborate on a complex problem over a HackerNews comment. An equally uncharitable opponent could ask you to prove that heavy policing (or at least the NYPD) has played a significant role in reducing crime.

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