Black Agenda Report
Black Agenda Report
News, commentary and analysis from the black left.

  • Home
  • Africa
  • African America
  • Education
  • Environment
  • International
  • Media and Culture
  • Political Economy
  • Radio
  • US Politics
  • War and Empire

When Movements Embrace Police Abolition, the Rich Resurrect “Reform”
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley and Glen Ford
09 Mar 2021
🖨️ Print Article

Margaret Kimberley · When Movements Embrace Police Abolition, the Rich Resurrect “Reform”

“As soon as movements emerge that identify the normal operations of the police” and other capitalist institutions as the problem, the regime directs the language of the debate towards reform, said Dylan Rodriguez, professor of medica culture at the University of California at Riverside. “People are no longer tolerating anti-Black police terror,” said Rodriguez. To change the subject from police and prison abolition, the system’s defenders pretend the debate is centered on preservation of these institutions, through reform.

Police Repression

Related Podcasts

BAR Radio Logo
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
Black Agenda Radio January 23, 2026
23 January 2026
In this week’s segment, we cover state repression and regime change efforts.
ICE Protest
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
ICE Domestic Repression in Minnesota
23 January 2026
Mnar Adley is the founder and director of MintPress News, an independent media outlet.
Ilyasah Shabazz
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
Shabazz Family Lawsuit Against the FBI and NYPD
03 October 2025
The investigation of the 1965 assassination of El Hajj Malik El Shabazz, Malcolm X, was compromised by the NYPD and the FBI from the very beginning

More Stories


  • Notes from Wartorn Ethiopia, Part III: Crimes of the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front
    Ann Garrison, BAR Contributing Editor
    Notes from Wartorn Ethiopia, Part III: Crimes of the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front
    27 Apr 2022
    BAR contributor Ann Garrison reports on conditions in Ethiopia.
  • BAR Book Forum: Mercy Romero’s “Toward Camden”
    Roberto Sirvent, BAR Book Forum Editor
    BAR Book Forum: Mercy Romero’s “Toward Camden”
    27 Apr 2022
    In this series, we ask acclaimed authors to answer five questions about their book. This week’s featured author is Mercy Romero. Romero is Associate Professor of American Literature and American…
  • BAR Book Forum: Treva B. Lindsey’s “America, Goddam”
    Roberto Sirvent, BAR Book Forum Editor
    BAR Book Forum: Treva B. Lindsey’s “America, Goddam”
    27 Apr 2022
    In this series, we ask acclaimed authors to answer five questions about their book. This week’s featured author is Treva B. Lindsey. Lindsey is Associate Professor in the Women's, Gender, and…
  • The Little-Known International Charter At The Center of Ukraine War and China's Future Defense
    Jacqueline Luqman
    The Little-Known International Charter At The Center of Ukraine War and China's Future Defense
    27 Apr 2022
    The U.S. talks about "rule based order" because international law is not on its side. The OSCE 1999 Charter explains why the Biden administration would rather make up a new phrase out of whole cloth…
  • Imperialism
    John Parker
    Imperialism
    27 Apr 2022
    The word imperialism has been used and misused often as the crisis in Ukraine continues. An understanding of its meaning is important in any analysis.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us