Abstract
I am grateful to Dr. Lee, Ms. Squillacote, and Mr. Fetonte for engaging with and challenging my piece, “Which Side Are We On: Can Labor Support #BlackLivesMatter and Police Unions?” They have helped me continue to sharpen my thinking and analysis on this complex, important topic.
I tend to agree with Dr. Lee’s primary assessment—I did pose the wrong question. The pressing question for the labor movement is not how to “balance” Black lives with police unions, but rather whether we will truly be part of a movement for Black lives. The article would have been stronger with a more explicit centering of race, anti-Black racism, and white supremacy. The labor movement must ask whether we are ready to actively and openly confront the structural and systemic racism both within our unions and in society. This will necessarily include responding to issues around carceral unionism.
Ms. Squillacote raises, as does Dr. Lee, the role of Black carceral workers and organizations, which is worth greater exploration. Recently, we have seen Black officer organizations like the Guardians break with larger, white-led police unions over, for example, their responses to the murder of George Floyd and their endorsement of Donald Trump. I must note, I have yet to see any real evidence of Black-led carceral worker organizations being able to “reform” any department—any more than integrating police departments has done—let alone shaking the foundation of systemic racism built into the system.
Mr. Fetonte wishes I had written a piece that centered carceral workers and the challenges they face while ignoring the central question—the labor movement’s responsibility to confront the long-established, deeply entrenched racism in every part of the criminal justice system. I agree with Dr. Lee and Ms. Squillacote that our movement has ignored systemic racism—both within our ranks and in broader society—for far too long. The labor movement’s attention must center on that, rather than on explication of the difficulties of police.
I should note that since the article was first published, elements within the labor movement have taken some steps and stances purporting to confront systemic racism—both internally and externally, alone and in coalition with outside groups. Whether the efforts will be substantive enough or effective deserves all of our continued scrutiny, analysis, support, and engagement.
