Michael Menchaca

We are in the midst of a cultural revolution, in part due to the effects of the global pandemic, yes, but by an even larger margin, the Black revolutionary response to the murder of George Floyd has materialized into the largest freedom movement this country has ever seen. As it happens, this cultural revolution is taking place during an industrial revolution. It is possible, now, for US intelligence agencies and police departments to achieve unprecedented capacities to surveil, criminalize, and oppress our most historically subordinated communities with the aid of Big Tech. Without meaningful public backlash, it becomes possible for fascist armies of automated drones and “RoboCops” to be deployed by the state; lubricating the mass incarceration machine and maximizing settler-colonial capacities for racial and social control.

Despite this looming threat, abolition is now more possible than ever. In the wake of George Floyd’s murder, some born into privileged ignorance have taken the necessary steps to denounce systemic racism. The death of white supremacy and global racial capitalism is now possible, as is the death of mass incarceration. Defunding and demilitarizing the police is now possible. Abolishing ICE and CBP (US Customs and Border Protection) is now possible. Abolishing US prisons and concentration camps is now possible. Abolishing the Department of Homeland Security is now possible. Providing affordable housing, healthcare, and education to BIPOC is now possible, and we must act on the moment if we are ever to dismantle the US racial caste system and achieve freedom for all who live in this country.