Conversations with a Cop
Conversations with a Cop
Episode 21: Conversations with a Cop with form police Captain Lawrence Hunter
Listen fam, I’m not gonna beat around the bush…Imma just say it straight. I don’t like or trust cops. They have proven they cannot be trusted to keep Black people safe and I’ve personally experienced some abusive behavior that left me feeling humiliated in past dealings with them. The whole policing system is doing exactly what it was set up to do…target Black people. Oh, you didn’t know? Yeah…policing in America has hella racist origins in slave patrols and Anti-Mexican rangers in Texas.
So, knowing that history, it’s no wonder that Black people have what feels like a DNA deep distrust of police officers. Especially since we’ve had a long history of police killing Black people like hotcakes. Every time a Black child is killed, I can’t help but think about all the future conversations I’m going to have to have with Gia. But she’s only 2, so I’m praying that things are drastically different by the time she’s old enough for “The Talk.” Actually, I hope that talk isn’t necessary at all. But just in case it is necessary, I decided I wanted to understand a little more about policing in America. Enter former police Captain, Lawrence Hunter. Lawrence is a fellow podcaster, a father, and he had a 24-year career as a police officer. Here’s what we discussed:
- Current police practices and the pressure officers receive to meet quotas.
- How Black parents should go about having “The Talk”
- Why it’s important to know your rights.
- The steps we can take to change the culture of policing from the inside out.
Listen here…
Now here’s the thing, I recorded this pod in March…right after Rona hit hard, especially in the Black community and before the Uprising. I thought I was radical before, but I never considered defunding the police until after the murder of George Floyd. Honestly, I didn’t even know that was an option. It is, and I’m here for it. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to discuss what that looks like on this episode.
Here’s what defunding the police means for our communities…
It’s estimated that the US spends over $100 billion each year on police. So, defunding the police would mean that money would otherwise be diverted to underfunded community programs, as well as be utilized by other services for emergency calls. The money would be invested in resources our communities need such as:
- Education
- Housing
- Mental health support
- Social services
Sounds great right? More resources allocated to the PREVENTION of crime by treating people like actual humans and giving a shit about them will reduce crime, so the police can focus on actual violent crimes and not on unarmed people selling loose cigarettes or playing in the park…both of which have gotten Black people killed. I mean, if we’re keeping it 100%, the police don’t prevent crime. They show up after crime happens. But listen, we have to zoom out to the bigger picture here from the police to the system that has allowed the police to operate without impunity since the 1700’s. THAT’S what needs to be completely abolished and rebuilt from the top down.
This isn’t gonna happen overnight, so please unbunch your panties and just listen…err read, whatever. Abolition and liberation go together like white supremacy and capitalism. We cannot have one without the other.
“At its root, policing and prisons are systems designed to uphold oppression. One thousand people are killed by police every year, and Black people are murdered at three times the rate of white people. Up to fifty percent of people murdered by the police have disabilities. Up to 40% of police officers have perpetrated intimate partner violence, and sexual violence is the second most common form of police brutality, primarily targeting Black women and especially those who are sex workers and drug users. Many of these incidents of police violence are undocumented by studies and only uplifted through grassroots movements. Prisons, police, and prosecutors work closely together to sustain white supremacist, capitalist, ableist, and cisheteropatriarchal systems of extraction and death.”-8toabolition.com
A world without police…it’s hard to imagine right? Listen, I’m the first to admit, I’m still learning about abolition, so I don’t consider myself an abolitionst…yet. I still want a violent form of justice for the George Zimmerman’s of the world, so learning about abolition is ongoing for me. But the more I learn, the more I feel it in my soul that it’s the only way to true liberation. I hope ya’ll join me in continuing to learn more about it too. Click here for some resources to help you learn more about becoming an abolitionst and why it’s so important.
In the meantime, I want to shout out my wonderful Pateron Patrons for their patience, love, and support. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!
Please consider leaving a rating/review here. Make sure you check out the Captain Huner Podcast here.
Until next time friends!
Yolanda Williams
Yolanda Williams is a Certified Positive Discipline Coach and Host of the podcast Parenting Decolonized, a show that unpacks how colonization has impacted the black family and teaches parents how to raise liberated black children without breaking their spirits. When she’s not advocating for the safety and liberation of black children from white supremacy and parental oppression, she’s chasing her toddler around the house and trying to remain sane.
LINKS: To advertise on the podcast: https://www.parentingdecolonized.com/about Become a member of Conscious Parenting for the Culture: https://www.facebook.com/groups/CPTime/ To check out ALL of my past guests + episodes: https://www.parentingdecolonized.com/podcast If you have questions about booking Yolanda or sponsoring the podcast, email me at parentingdecolonized@gmail.com.
Conversations with a Cop
Episode 21: Conversations with a Cop with form police Captain Lawrence Hunter
Listen fam, I’m not gonna beat around the bush…Imma just say it straight. I don’t like or trust cops. They have proven they cannot be trusted to keep Black people safe and I’ve personally experienced some abusive behavior that left me feeling humiliated in past dealings with them. The whole policing system is doing exactly what it was set up to do…target Black people. Oh, you didn’t know? Yeah…policing in America has hella racist origins in slave patrols and Anti-Mexican rangers in Texas.
So, knowing that history, it’s no wonder that Black people have what feels like a DNA deep distrust of police officers. Especially since we’ve had a long history of police killing Black people like hotcakes. Every time a Black child is killed, I can’t help but think about all the future conversations I’m going to have to have with Gia. But she’s only 2, so I’m praying that things are drastically different by the time she’s old enough for “The Talk.” Actually, I hope that talk isn’t necessary at all. But just in case it is necessary, I decided I wanted to understand a little more about policing in America. Enter former police Captain, Lawrence Hunter. Lawrence is a fellow podcaster, a father, and he had a 24-year career as a police officer. Here’s what we discussed:
- Current police practices and the pressure officers receive to meet quotas.
- How Black parents should go about having “The Talk”
- Why it’s important to know your rights.
- The steps we can take to change the culture of policing from the inside out.
Listen here…
Now here’s the thing, I recorded this pod in March…right after Rona hit hard, especially in the Black community and before the Uprising. I thought I was radical before, but I never considered defunding the police until after the murder of George Floyd. Honestly, I didn’t even know that was an option. It is, and I’m here for it. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to discuss what that looks like on this episode.
Here’s what defunding the police means for our communities…
It’s estimated that the US spends over $100 billion each year on police. So, defunding the police would mean that money would otherwise be diverted to underfunded community programs, as well as be utilized by other services for emergency calls. The money would be invested in resources our communities need such as:
- Education
- Housing
- Mental health support
- Social services
Sounds great right? More resources allocated to the PREVENTION of crime by treating people like actual humans and giving a shit about them will reduce crime, so the police can focus on actual violent crimes and not on unarmed people selling loose cigarettes or playing in the park…both of which have gotten Black people killed. I mean, if we’re keeping it 100%, the police don’t prevent crime. They show up after crime happens. But listen, we have to zoom out to the bigger picture here from the police to the system that has allowed the police to operate without impunity since the 1700’s. THAT’S what needs to be completely abolished and rebuilt from the top down.
This isn’t gonna happen overnight, so please unbunch your panties and just listen…err read, whatever. Abolition and liberation go together like white supremacy and capitalism. We cannot have one without the other.
“At its root, policing and prisons are systems designed to uphold oppression. One thousand people are killed by police every year, and Black people are murdered at three times the rate of white people. Up to fifty percent of people murdered by the police have disabilities. Up to 40% of police officers have perpetrated intimate partner violence, and sexual violence is the second most common form of police brutality, primarily targeting Black women and especially those who are sex workers and drug users. Many of these incidents of police violence are undocumented by studies and only uplifted through grassroots movements. Prisons, police, and prosecutors work closely together to sustain white supremacist, capitalist, ableist, and cisheteropatriarchal systems of extraction and death.”-8toabolition.com
A world without police…it’s hard to imagine right? Listen, I’m the first to admit, I’m still learning about abolition, so I don’t consider myself an abolitionst…yet. I still want a violent form of justice for the George Zimmerman’s of the world, so learning about abolition is ongoing for me. But the more I learn, the more I feel it in my soul that it’s the only way to true liberation. I hope ya’ll join me in continuing to learn more about it too. Click here for some resources to help you learn more about becoming an abolitionst and why it’s so important.
In the meantime, I want to shout out my wonderful Pateron Patrons for their patience, love, and support. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!
Please consider leaving a rating/review here. Make sure you check out the Captain Huner Podcast here.
Until next time friends!
Yolanda Williams
Yolanda Williams is a Certified Positive Discipline Coach and Host of the podcast Parenting Decolonized, a show that unpacks how colonization has impacted the black family and teaches parents how to raise liberated black children without breaking their spirits. When she’s not advocating for the safety and liberation of black children from white supremacy and parental oppression, she’s chasing her toddler around the house and trying to remain sane.
LINKS: To advertise on the podcast: https://www.parentingdecolonized.com/about Become a member of Conscious Parenting for the Culture: https://www.facebook.com/groups/CPTime/ To check out ALL of my past guests + episodes: https://www.parentingdecolonized.com/podcast If you have questions about booking Yolanda or sponsoring the podcast, email me at parentingdecolonized@gmail.com.
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