Blog Prompt: From Nobody to Somebody

As we discussed in class last night, given the grim nature of the social, political and economic realities Hill discusses in his book Nobody, it is surprising that he ends on upbeat and positive note, celebrating the ability of protest and grassroots mobilizations to transform the vulnerable into a powerful political force, into "somebodies."  Yet, Hill makes no real positive policy prescriptions here other than saying that the State should cease harming the very (Black, Brown, poor, queer, trans) people it should be protecting. This is a very general, very vague demand. Thus, Hill's argument left me wondering about what sorts of concrete steps (policies, laws, reforms) should be taken to address the causes of the vulnerability and State violence he so ably chronicles.  What should be done to address the concentrated poverty, chronic lack of jobs and political disempowerment of a communities like Ferguson, MO and Flint, MI?  How should police practice be changed to improve relations between cops and young Black men? How should our draconian

drugs laws and the criminal justice system as whole be reformed? How do we reverse the trend towards mass incarceration (and, perhaps, how do we make incarceration itself a more rehabilitative experience)? What should we do about the epidemic of gun violence, especially in communities of the vulnerable? I'm not expecting you to answer all or even any of these questions. But I would like to know what you think.