| Popis: |
Much can and has been said about the relationship between the police and Black Americans. This topic has been thrust into mainstream conversation in recent years, with copious efforts aimed at fixing the problem. However, little seems to have changed. In this paper, I will utilize Calvin Warren’s Black Nihilism as a guiding lens in my evaluation of Washington state-level policy. I argue by examining Washington’s policies and crime data that Warren’s primary thesis—that the politics of hope is an unending, unsuccessful endeavor—is true not just theoretically, but in practice as well. Specifically, Washington’s recent milquetoast attempts at police reform highlight a fundamental misunderstanding of the structural problems inherent in the relationship between the police state and the Black community, resulting in never-ending policy failure. |
