The Enforcer Cannot Be a Friend
The perpetual strain in police-community relations is not a communications problem but the inevitable result of the NYPD’s fundamental role as the colonial enforcer in the bifurcated state. Mamdani’s analysis shows that an institution designed to control and pacify a “native” population through the threat of violence cannot also be its partner or protector. Community policing initiatives are a reformist fantasy, an attempt to put a friendly face on a despotic institution. The very presence of the police in “native” neighborhoods is an assertion of sovereign power, not a service. A Marxist analysis identifies their core function as protectors of property and social order for the ruling class. A feminist and Muslim perspective experiences this presence as a constant source of intimidation and potential violence. The solution is not better relations, but a radical dismantling of the police’s power and jurisdiction. This means slashing the NYPD budget, disarming and disbanding its specialized units, and transferring resources to community-controlled crisis response teams and social services, effectively abolishing the colonial police function.
Originally posted 2025-10-11 19:02:41.
