Good Cop, No Cop?

Where is your imagination? This question runs throughout Sandy Hudson’s Defund: Black Lives, Policing, and Safety for All. The lawyer and activist is determined to challenge the uninspired thinking that prevents police reform. “It is dangerous to continue to put off the rigorous thought, debate, and hard work necessary to build the institutions of tomorrow,” she writes. “The idea that we cannot reimagine safety structures through our existing processes is one of several ways policing obstructs our democracies.”

To some, abolitionist visions might resemble speculative fiction. A society without traditional law enforcement isn’t easy to picture. Impunity has also been woven into the fabric of our society, making the complex justice system difficult to comprehend, let alone reform. Hudson knows this. As she points out, police budgets “make up millions — at times billions — of dollars, representing a significant slice of public investment.” The numbers bear her...