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Notes from America with Kai Wright

Do We Need the Police at All?

Notes from America with Kai Wright

WNYC Studios

News Commentary, Politics, History, News

4.41.5K Ratings

🗓️ 26 April 2021

⏱️ 50 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The answer isn’t simple, but it’s time to ask. Listeners weigh in with stories of their own efforts to solve problems with and without cops. Community organizer and educator Lumumba Akinwole-Bandele joins callers as we reimagine a world without policing, and shares his own stories from decades of police reform activism in New York City. Plus, Dr. Jameta Nicole Barlow, a psychologist, public health scientist, and assistant professor at The George Washington University, explains intergenerational trauma and the lifelong damage that consuming racial violence does to our bodies. And writer Hali Bey Ramdene meditates on the impact of living -- and growing up -- with this non-stop violence towards Black people. Companion listening for this episode: “Why Cops Don’t Change” (4/19/21) A retired NYPD detective says the force’s stubborn, insular culture was built to last. And Elie Mystal explains a 1989 Supreme Court ruling that made killing “reasonable.” “Keep Calm and Check Your Bias” (3/26/20) Research shows that racism and other prejudices are most acute when the stakes are high, so Kai talks with Dr. Gail Christopher about how to control for that reality, during a pandemic. “The United States of Anxiety” airs live on Sunday evenings at 6pm ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts. To catch all the action, tune into the show on Sunday nights via the stream on WNYC.org/anxiety or tell your smart speakers to play WNYC. We want to hear from you! Connect with us on Twitter @WNYC using the hashtag #USofAnxiety or email us at [email protected].

Transcript

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0:00.0

This is the United States of Anxiety, a show about the unfinished business of our history and its

0:07.0

grip on our future.

0:08.0

I would not call today's verdict justice because justice implies true restoration but it is

0:16.1

accountability which is the first step towards justice we don't celebrate a man

0:21.4

going to jail.

0:22.9

We would have rather George be alive.

0:25.0

Amen.

0:26.0

All three health.

0:28.0

This is trauma.

0:30.2

This is trauma.

0:30.9

Like I haven't dealt with my father's death. I haven't been mourning.

0:34.1

I think it's super important that we differentiate between abolishing, the funding, and

0:38.0

reforming the police. When we center the leadership of people who are impacted by these

0:42.2

monster systems, then we find our way out of it and

0:45.5

we can show you a world that can exist without the function of police or prisons.

0:50.6

We are sick and tired of being sick and tired.

0:57.6

Welcome to the show, I'm Kay Wright.

0:59.6

Thanks for making us your Oscar's pregame.

1:02.2

We aren't talking about the movies this hour, but I did interview

1:05.2

Daniel Koleuia last month about his role portraying Fred Hampton, the chair of the Illinois

1:10.6

Black Panther Party for which he's expected to win tonight as best supporting actor.

1:14.9

And something I learned in talking to Daniel and preparing for that conversation is that one of the things that the

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