Episode 392 - Kamala is a Cop, Actually (w/ Alec Karakatsanis)
Jul 25, 2024
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Civil rights attorney Alec Karakatsanis exposes the deceptive nature of police body cameras, revealing they serve surveillance and convicting low-income individuals. He challenges the rehabilitation of Kamala Harris's criminal justice record, questioning if she is truly a cop. The discussion addresses the flaws in police reform bills and the historical roots of US policing tactics, emphasizing the need for political accountability and societal change.
Body cameras were promoted as accountability tools but increased police violence.
Politicians push deceptive narratives to divert attention from systemic issues.
Grassroots organizing and truth-telling are vital in challenging deceptive political narratives.
Deep dives
Body Cameras: The Deception Unveiled
The podcast exposes the grand deception surrounding police body cameras, highlighting how they were promoted as tools of accountability but have increased police violence and reduced accountability. Bureaucrats push for body cameras to surveil and control populations, using the technology for surveillance and profit rather than reducing violence. The multi-billion dollar police surveillance industry envisioned total surveillance with cops controlling the outward-looking cameras to exploit data and connect footage with biometric software. Prosecutors leverage body cam footage for low-level cases rather than holding police accountable.
Propaganda and Power in Police Reform
The podcast delves into the propaganda and power dynamics shaping police reforms like body cameras. Politicians adopt deceptive narratives to push reforms like body cameras as solutions to police violence, diverting attention from systemic issues. The industry profits from surveillance technologies tied to policing, with a focus on enhancing surveillance and securing convictions, not reducing violence. Liberal embrace of body cameras post-Michael Brown shooting reflects reliance on misleading narratives and failures to address deeper systemic policing issues.
Political Response to Body Camera Footage
The podcast critiques the political responses to body camera footage, exemplified by the case of Sonia Massey's shooting. Kamala Harris's shifting positions raise questions about progressive prosecutor narratives and the deceptive portrayal of politicians to cater to power bases. The discourses around body camera technologies and police violence underscore the importance of grassroots organizing and truth-telling to challenge deceptive political narratives.
Organizing for Truth and Transformation
The importance of truth-telling and grassroots organizing emerges as a focal point in the podcast. Aligning values with policies and building power through community organizing are seen as essential for holding politicians accountable. The discussion highlights the need to strip away deception and propaganda to focus on actual societal impacts and systemic injustices. Building power to influence political leaders towards transformative changes forms a key strategy for societal transformation.
Honoring Integrity through Truth and Power
Integrity and truth-telling are emphasized as crucial elements in navigating complex political landscapes. The podcast stresses the importance of holding politicians accountable through truthfulness and highlighting societal injustices. Organizing around shared values and community building are advocated as vital strategies for driving real transformation and challenging deceptive political narratives. Building power through truthful discourse and grassroots movements emerges as pivotal in advocating for substantive societal changes.
Civil rights attorney, former public defender, and founder of Civil Rights Corps Alec Karakatsanis joins Bad Faith to discuss his latest article exposing the massive disinformation campaign around police body cameras that has led liberals to embrace surveillance technology as a progressive reform. Alec explains the evidence that exposes the true purpose of body cameras, and addresses whether the recent on-camera murder of Sonya Massey complicates the argument. He then takes on a new trend rehabilitating Kamala Harris's criminal justice record now that she's the presumptive nominee. Were claims about her record overblown in 2020? Or is she, in fact, a cop?