Page 15 - Florida Sentinel 8-23-19

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From The Tampa BAY Collective
When I tell people that I am a prison abolitionist, their first response is usually, “What about the rapists and murderers?”
Immediately, I think to the Marshall Project report that found that 58% of in- mates who alleged they were raped in prison say correc- tional officers did it, and re- spond, “well we let some of them guard the prisons so I’m sure we’ll find something for them to do”.
I say this to myself, of
course, using humor as a de- fense mechanism before en- gaging with what the person is actually concerned for, safety. They do not want to be harmed, in fact, they want to ensure that they will not be harmed ever.
So, I ask, “if your goal is to ensure you will not be harmed, are prisons and po- lice really capable of this, when they only get involved after a harm has occurred?”
I go deeper, testing the things they’ve internalized as safety, exposing that they do not actually make us safe. “Do police officers make you feel safe? Does barbed wire make you feel safe? Does knowing that people are being tortured in the depths of our prisons ensure your safety?”
I explain: “The state gives us security and says that is what keeps us safe. But safety and security are not the same thing. Take prisons for exam- ple: There are locked doors, barbed-wired fences, cam-
eras, gun towers and officers with riot gear. Do you think prisoners feel safe?”
Some respond by saying they do not care if prisoners are safe, to which I push: “so someone being unsafe en- sures your safety? Even more, would you rather someone not harm you be- cause they’ve been forced to through unsafe means or would you rather someone choose to keep you safe be- cause they do not want to harm you?”
I challenge: “think about the times you’ve felt the safest, was anyone involved being forced to create safety? In fact, did prisons or the po- lice have anything to do with those feelings?” More than likely, their response involves being in the presence of loved ones, with strong connections and good relationships.
It becomes clear that real safety is bred through healthy relationships, the type of safety that actually ensures harm will not occur because
there is a mutual agreement to not only not do harm but, to repair harm that has oc- curred. People choose to be in community, because it meets their needs, rather than being forced through violence.
I finish: “why do we in- stinctively rely on prisons and police to make us safe when we obviously create safety for ourselves on the daily basis, and when we are also the only ones capable of ensuring harm does not occur, before it occurs. Bro- ken relations enable harm, so disposing of people, as pris- ons do, only perpetuates the harm because it makes it im- possible that it can be re- paired.
Thisiswhyitisuptous. We make us safe, through in- tentionally being in relation- ships and building community. Prison abolition calls for a radical transforma- tion in how we relate to each other in the most basic ways.
This is not a simple solu- tion and is far from an easy
fix. It will take long, hard, dis- ciplined work to realize a world without prisons. And that is the type of work the Tampa BAY Collective is doing. Our vision is a com- munity collectively commit- ted to the safety and care of all without the threat of vio- lence because we believe peo- ple can choose to do right and be in community, rather than being forced. We are working towards a world free from prisons by connecting with those who are incarcerated and meeting some basic needs of directly and indi- rectly impacted people.
Finally, we are building community.
So, if you are seriously in- terested in what we do with the rapists and murderers, join us on Sunday, August 25, 2019, from 5:45 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., for the Black August Meet & Think, at the Arthe- nia Joyner University Area Community Library, 13619 N. 22nd Street, Tampa, FL 33613. Dinner will be served.
BY ERRDAISHA FLOYD
A Response From A Prison Abolitionist
FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 2019 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 3-B