Expect Stacey Abrams to resign from and distance herself from the Marguerite Casey Foundation, not because she no longer believes in the cause of abolishing the police, but because it is politically expedient. She knows that Blacks are by far the largest group of victims of crime and she does not want to lose their vote. But, she will be gambling that they will believe her when she says she never believed in the cause.
I give them more credit than that. BLM may want to abolish the police, but the everyday, hardworking people who worry about the safety of themselves and their families don’t dare to favor doing away with the police. If anything, they would like to see a greater number of police patrolling their streets. Imagine what their life would be like if the criminals did not have to worry about the police.
As recently as March 10, the Marguerite Casey Foundation tweeted “#DefundthePolice”. That accompanied a story from the Washington Post that described the amount of money paid out in settlements. But, the $3.5 billion figure is over a ten-year period and since it only included large cities run by Democrats, it creates a false narrative. How often do you hear of police shooting an unarmed Black person in Republican-controlled cities?
“The Post collected data on nearly 40,000 payments at 25 of the nation’s largest police and sheriff’s departments within the past decade, documenting more than $3.2 billion spent to settle claims [of wrongdoing].” #DefundthePolice https://t.co/fm1UMmcbm3
— Marguerite Casey Foundation (@CaseyGrants) March 11, 2022
On March 3, the foundation tweeted:
“Grant recipient @DreamDefenders + partners launched the Doctors Within Borders Urgent Care Clinic as part of a larger movement to create direct services and sites of intervention in police violence and prison systems. #DefundthePolice.”
The foundation has also tweeted support for abolishing law enforcement and prison systems. On Feb. 11, the group shared a story about the “Prison Industrial Complex in Atlanta” and tweeted “#AbolishthePolice.”
"The Cop City story…offers a window into how the actors that make up the PIC—corporations, governments, media, police, and others—work in deadly harmony to suppress political dissent, subvert democratic engagement, and protect profits.” #AbolishthePolice https://t.co/jObxbG8TDb
— Marguerite Casey Foundation (@CaseyGrants) February 11, 2022
The foundation hosted an event in early February, titled, “Becoming Abolitionists—A History of Failed Police Reforms & Vision for True Public Safety,” which was moderated by the foundation’s president and CEO, Carmen Rojas.
We're so excited for our event w/ Dr. Kelley + @DereckaPurnell on Thursday! They'll discuss her book #BecomingAbolitionists, how decolonization movements have informed police abolition movements and the necessity of an abolitionist future ✨ Register here: https://t.co/9WTMjFieRp https://t.co/420wVv8qjZ pic.twitter.com/6dUPbjNadY
— Marguerite Casey Foundation (@CaseyGrants) February 2, 2022
During the Feb. 3 discussion, featuring pro-abolitionist author Derecka Purnell, Rojas accused Republicans of “fully funding ethno-nationalism” and “White supremacy.”
“[What] ideological foundations like ours can do is create a more even terrain for that fight – that the opposition is fully funding ethno-nationalism, fully funding patriarchy and White supremacy, like, whole hog, every day funding it,” Rojas said. “And what we can do at our best, those of us who believe in dreaming, those of us who believe in justice, those of us who are committed to Black liberation – not as an endeavor to keep in our brain, but something that we want to realize in our lifetime – can use resources to do that.”
