Brendan McQuade is an assistant professor of criminology at the University of Southern Maine and the author of Pacifying the Homeland: Intelligence Fusion and Mass Surveillance.
In response to radical demands to defund and disband the police, liberal reformers are pushing the “Camden model.” Don’t fall for it. Camden relies on mass surveillance to pacify its population — all to benefit business interests.
The victory at Standing Rock in the face of state repression is a testament to the power of direct action.
There’s nothing progressive about community policing — it deepens criminalization and expands police power.
A strong alliance between Fight for 15 and Black Lives Matter would propel both movements forward.
President Obama touts Camden as a model of police demilitarization. But the city has taken counterinsurgency surveillance to a new level.