[08/29/2024] Introduction: The White House (IS_202)

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BENJAMIN-INTRODUCTION-2022.pdf

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This chapter provides a personal account of the author's childhood growing up in the "White House" in Los Angeles, and how this experience shaped their perspective on justice and abolition. It then transitions to the tragic story of Breonna Taylor, a Black woman killed by police in her own home during the COVID-19 pandemic. The document explores themes of community, family, and the need for transformative justice to address systemic racism and violence.

Key Points

• The author grew up in a close-knit community in the "White House" in Los Angeles, where their grandmother modeled an abolitionist approach of care and connection rather than punishment.

• The author reflects on the constant threat of violence and conflict they felt growing up, and how their grandmother's approach taught them a different way of responding.

• The story of Breonna Taylor's killing by police in her own home during the COVID-19 pandemic is used to illustrate the urgent need for transformative justice to address systemic racism and violence.

• It explores themes of community, family, and the power of alternative approaches to justice and safety that center care, healing, and collective well-being.

Questions for Discussions

1. How did the author's upbringing in diverse communities shape their perspective on justice and abolition?

2. What lessons did the author learn from their grandmother's abolitionist approach of care and connection rather than punishment?

3. How does the story of Breonna Taylor's killing illustrate the need for transformative justice to address systemic racism and violence?

4. What parallels can be drawn between the ongoing efforts to rewrite Chile's constitution and the need to reimagine our own political and economic systems?

5. How can individuals challenge "the machinery of our everyday lives" and disrupt the status quo through small, everyday actions?

6. What are the risks of becoming an "Antiracism Police" and how can we avoid reproducing the same logics of policing and harassment?

7. How can we balance the need for structural, macro-level change with the importance of individual decisions and actions in driving social transformation?

8. What does it mean to "reclaim power over how our thoughts, habits, and actions shape—as much as they are shaped by—the larger environment"?

Some Additional Questions

1. How does the author's personal experience with the cracked window and fear of violence as a child connect to the story of Breonna Taylor's killing?

2. What insights does the concept of "weathering" provide about the systemic factors that contributed to the author's father's premature death?

3. How does the author's diverse upbringing and exposure to different "worlds" shape their perspective on the need for transformative change?

4. What does the author mean by the "dirty secret of antisocial policies" and how does it challenge the notion of individual responsibility?

5. How does the author's shift in thinking from a focus on structural change to the importance of individual actions and decisions reflect a broader tension in approaches to social justice?

6. What examples does the author provide of how "small things" and "seemingly minor actions, decisions, and habits" can have exponential effects in driving positive change?