But the simple passage of a law is not the chief goal of the petition drive, though laws are vital in shaping human interactions. Nor is the goal to appeal to the conscience of law enforcers, or court white paternalism. Organizing our people to fight collectively around their concrete and immediate concerns is the much larger aim. Whether a law every comes to pass is an important, but secondary, issue. What really matters is that we develop more routinized contact with the communities that we say we represent.
Political reforms can appear pennyante when viewed from the standpoint of their external purposes.
However, we should also judge reformist efforts based on whether they serve internal, base-building purposes. Muhammad suggests community-based alternatives to police departments. This is a legitimate topic of discussion, and it is firmly rooted a long history of Black nationalism. I ll leave aside the various concerns I have about the prospect of being policed by many of the religious and political organizations he mentions. The real problem with Bro.