Over the past year, cities across the nation have seen increased interest in exploring alternatives to policing. First up today, we hear from city alder Arvina Martin about her work launching phase one of Madison’s own mental health first-responder program. Then, EMT Daniel Felts with the Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets (CAHOOTS) program […]
Meet Shon Barnes, Madison’s New Chief of Police
Earlier this month, Madison swore in Shon Barnes as the new chief of police. For today’s show, we feature Tuesday host Carousel Bayrd’s exclusive interview with Chief Barnes about his philosophy of policing and his vision for the Madison Police Department. They talk about what brought Chief Barnes to Wisconsin, community and neighborhood-oriented policing, SROs […]
Policing is Broken. How Can We Fix It?
Earlier this week, a new Madison police chief was sworn in, prompting renewed public conversation around the role of policing in our community. We take this opportunity to reflect on the history of policing in the U.S. with Simon Balto and hear from Ananda Tomas with Fix SAPD about how they have been working to […]
The Intertwined Histories of Policing, Private Property, and Capitalis...
Abolishing the police requires abolishing capitalism, argues historian Peter Linebaugh. Today, he joins Allen on the program to discuss the origins of policing as an institution in the eighteenth century; the relationship between policing, private property, and wealth; and the intertwined histories of racial capitalism and state violence. Peter Linebaugh is a historian who has […]
Roundtable: Reforming the MPD and Alternatives to Policing
The growing movement to defund the police and nationwide demands for police accountability have a history in Madison as well. Today, Allen hosts a roundtable discussion about local police practices, ongoing efforts to reform the MPD, and alternatives to policing with Brandi Grayson of Urban Triage, alder Rebecca Kemble from the Madison Common Council, and […]
Should Police Be Unionized?
As calls to defund the police reverberate across America, today Thursday host Allen Ruff takes a look at the renewed controversy around police unions with labor and racial justice activist Bill Fletcher Jr. They talk about the nature of policing in a capitalist society, police accountability, the role of law enforcement in a democracy, and […]
