The Dig

State of Impunity w/ Alberto Toscano and Stuart Schrader

23 snips
Sep 22, 2025
Alberto Toscano, a philosopher focused on fascism and race, and Stuart Schrader, a historian specializing in policing and immigration, dive deep into the authoritarian practices of the Trump era. They discuss how heightened police and ICE budgets strengthen repressive capacities, creating a future of unchecked state violence. The duo also examines the troubling role of police unions and the aestheticization of repression through media. They highlight grassroots resistance tactics in major cities, juxtaposing local activism with the challenges posed by the courts.
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INSIGHT

Spectacle Plus Capacity Builds Repression

  • Trump's deployments mix theatrical spectacle with real capacity-building that increases repression long-term.
  • Alberto Toscano warns that expanding ICE, detention, and politicized agencies creates thresholds that normalize future violence.
INSIGHT

Police Unions As Authoritarian Power Brokers

  • Local police unions are central power brokers supporting federal takeovers and resisting democratic controls.
  • Stuart Schrader emphasizes unions' coordination with Trump to intensify police autonomy and impunity.
INSIGHT

Impunity Holds The Coalition Together

  • Impunity is a cheap but powerful political currency binding disparate Trump allies.
  • Stuart Schrader links police, crypto capitalists, and extractive industries through their desire for nonprosecution and deregulation.
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