Pirate's Cove

Exactly what does getting rid of the police have to do with reducing “carbon pollution” in order to reduce the planet’s temperature? Well, it’s a cult, so, there’s always a reason, especially since this whole thing has little to do with science, as I’ve been pointing out for over 15 years

There’s No Green New Deal Without Police Abolition

Imagine a future where Black and Brown children don’t have to breathe toxic air from steel smoke stacks spewing polluted particulates. Imagine a future without police—with less crime and more safety. A future where there are enough jobs and housing for all.

This is the kind of radical imagination at the heart of the abolitionist climate movement. The U.S. spends billions on our police forces—dollars that could go toward addressing the root causes of crime, such as poverty and mental health, and toward building sustainable infrastructure. We can build a better world by uprooting injustices at the source and by investing in what communities need to thrive. That’s what the Green New Deal proposes. Let’s create an economy that’s beneficial to the people and the planet.

Welcome to The Frontline, where you’ll be hearing from Green New Deal mastermind Rhiana Gunn-Wright. I’m Yessenia Funes, climate editor of Atmos. I chatted with Gunn-Wright, director of climate policy at the Roosevelt Institute. Last week was what some legislators deemed Green New Deal week as they introduced a number of bills to make this framework reality.

It’s a pretty big jump from black and brown people don’t have to breath toxic air to “abolish the police”, eh, unless you’re in a cult.

YESSENIA FUNES Before we dive into the legislation that’s been introduced this week, let’s talk a bit about the verdict on the Derek Chauvin trial—because police abolition is a climate justice issue, right? How are you feeling given the news?

RHIANA GUNN-WRIGHT I’m glad that Officer Chauvin was held accountable. That is far too rare in our judicial system. What was really striking was looking back at the initial official police report of what happened. It was completely fabricated. It took not only a Black girl taking a video of what happened and posting it—but, then, millions of people protesting for this to happen, which speaks so poorly of our criminal justice system.

I can’t say I felt joy or even relief. I was very glad that he was held accountable, particularly for the Floyd family. That is the least that they deserve. But that feeling didn’t even last for the whole night because Columbus police then killed a 16-year-old Black girl who called them for protection: Ma’Khia Bryant. It just reminded me that policing is not a system that can be reformed. We have to follow the lead of abolitionists and find a different way of creating and maintaining public safety because this isn’t working. This is far from over.

So, hatred of police extends from a few bad cops (in this case, only one, because the second one protected a black girl from being stabbed by Ma’Khia) to all cops, and this is for the climate, people!

YESSENIA There’s been some discussion in the climate movement of how abolition goes hand in hand with building a Green New Deal and investing in all the elements that come with it—affordable housing, clean energy, robust public transit. How does this work to specifically defund the police as a critical move to helping fund something as ambitious as the Green New Deal?

RHIANA Well, it starts off with recognizing that police brutality is an environmental justice issue. The way that policing happens is part of a person’s physical environment, particularly in Black, Latinx, and Indigenous communities. Environmental justice is not just about air pollution. It’s not just about how close or far you are from a fossil fuel facility. It’s also about what makes up your physical environment, including policing, public safety, education, clean water. All of that is part of a person’s physical environment. And in almost every way, Black communities, in particular, are put in unjust environments—environments that actively take away from their health, safety, and happiness.

When I think about police abolition and the Green New Deal, what actually unites them is a willingness to recognize that the system we have doesn’t work. And acknowledging that we might not know everything we need to do right now, but we’ll figure it out on the way as long as we’re committed to the right principles. That comfort with uncertainty and risk—and the creativity to find different types of solutions—all of that is necessary for police abolition and the Green New Deal.

So, it all connects together in the eyes of a climate cultist, because it’s a cult. What’s not being asked is “what replaces the police? Who will keep the crime down and deal with criminal activity in these clean energy areas with government run housing?” We’ve seen what happens in the areas with government run housing in Democratic run cities with law enforcement. What happens with none? Will a social worker stop all the drivebys and trash in the streets, among issues? The Green New Deal isn’t about the climate. It’s a political movement.