No More Police: A Case for Abolition

by Mariame Kaba

Of course, communities will need dedicated time to build a way forward. In the meantime, we must address the more immediate needs of survivors and people vulnerable to violence. That means building our capacity for mutual aid and for engaging in restorative and transformative justice as we work towards our broader visions. Beth Richie describes abolition feminism in practice as interventions that (1) take the problem of gender violence very seriously and provide support for survivors; (2) use transformative justice approaches and mutual aid to do that; (3) analyze the root causes of violence and develop strategies to change those conditions; (4) build coalition with other social justice groups where those most affected are in leadership; (5) assess campaigns when they fail, regroup, and try again; and (6) recognize and lift up the everyday abolition strategies that people use to take care of themselves and each other without relying on the carceral state. It is not formulaic, but rather a set of practices that are geared toward abolition feminist goals.