It’s frustrating that scientists start with the assertion that gun crime and not capitalism is the most pressing public safety concern, but at least they’re trying anti-poverty measures to reduce gun crime instead of more policing. It doesn’t take a PhD to realize poverty is the root cause of not just gun crime, but most social problems.

But this isn’t new. The last time academics tried something similar, the the violence interrupters, the Fraternal Order of Police lobbied against it to have it shut down. It was showing significant results, saving black lives and reducing gun violence. But the police saw it as a threat (and it was - anything that reduces crime is a threat to the institution of police), and they killed it.

Vox did an interview with David Graeber about this back in 2019.

Meanwhile, the United States will have its 247th “If it’s broken, don’t fix it” celebration in three days.

The police murdered a young student electrician for ‘refusing to comply’ with a checkpoint set up outside an Algerian ghetto. His capital crime he was likely trying to avoid arrest? Driving without a license.

This riot wasn’t caused by social media, or Nahel’s murder for that matter. It was caused by systemic racism in France. Macron is trying to scapegoat and shut down social media because the kind of peace we wants can be destroyed by truth.