From George Floyd to Alex Pretti: “Copaganda” Author on Myths About Immigration, Crime & Policing
Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖Police killings of civilians increased after George Floyd's murder, contrary to public expectation and calls for reform.
- ❖The narrative of a sweeping crime wave, particularly linking it to immigrants, is a fallacy disproven by data showing crime at historic lows and immigrants being significantly less likely to be incarcerated than US-born individuals.
- ❖Mainstream media, including outlets like the New York Times, plays a significant role in disseminating 'copaganda' by framing crime and immigration similarly to right-wing media.
- ❖So-called 'reforms' like body cameras do not reduce police violence but serve as advanced surveillance tools for law enforcement and as propaganda to placate the public.
- ❖Democrats often push 'meaningless reforms' that maintain or increase funding for agencies like DHS and ICE, rather than challenging their fundamental power or advocating for genuine systemic change.
Insights
1Post-Floyd Era: Increased Police Violence, Not Accountability
Despite widespread protests and calls to defund the police after George Floyd's murder, police killings of civilians actually increased in the years following (2021, 2022), demonstrating a systemic failure to reduce state violence and highlighting how public outrage can be co-opted to reinforce existing power structures.
In 2021, the year after George Floyd was killed, the police killed more people than they did in 2020, as you mentioned, and more people in 2022, in 2021.
2The 'Crime Wave' and Immigration: A Propagandistic Fallacy
The narrative of a sweeping crime wave, particularly one perpetrated by immigrants, is a false claim propagated by both right-wing and mainstream media. Data shows overall crime is at historic lows, and immigrants are significantly less likely to be incarcerated than US-born individuals, revealing a deliberate misrepresentation to instill fear and justify repressive policies.
Stanford University study found that since the 1960s, immigrants are 60% less likely to be incarcerated for crimes than people born in the US. () all crime in the United States that police track... is actually down... at historic lows since we've been tracking this stuff, 50, 60 year lows.
3Body Cameras: Surveillance Tools, Not Reforms
Body cameras, widely promoted as a means of police accountability, are ineffective at reducing police violence. Instead, they function as advanced surveillance tools for law enforcement, increasing their capacity for monitoring and control, while serving as a propaganda device to convince the public that authorities are addressing police brutality.
overwhelming research... consensus on this question that even the federal government's own position for a decade or more has been that body cameras do not reduce police violence. () They control when it's on, when it's off, what it captures. When something is captured is released to the public.
4Mainstream Media's Role in Perpetuating 'Copaganda'
Alec Karakatsanis argues that 'mainstream' or 'liberal' news media, such as the New York Times, often echo the same core messages as right-wing outlets like Fox News regarding crime and immigration. This convergence contributes to a unified propaganda narrative that instills fear, justifies increased state power, and distracts from systemic issues.
These narratives are deeply embedded in how the Democratic Party talks, in how institutions like the New York Times talk... the actual message that's being conveyed in Fox News and the New York Times on issues of of crime and immigration are virtually identical.
Key Concepts
Copaganda
The systematic manipulation of news and public perception by police and media to increase the power, budget, and public support for law enforcement, even in the face of brutality or injustice. This involves framing narratives, promoting ineffective reforms, and misrepresenting crime statistics to serve institutional interests.
Lessons
- Critically evaluate news narratives about crime, policing, and immigration, especially those promoting fear or linking crime to vulnerable populations, by seeking out data-driven analysis.
- Question 'reforms' that primarily increase the budget, power, or surveillance capabilities of law enforcement agencies, as these often serve as propaganda rather than genuine accountability.
- Advocate for policies that fundamentally reduce the size and power of punitive bureaucracies (police, ICE, prisons) rather than supporting 'cosmetic reforms' that leave the underlying system intact.
Quotes
"What are the stories that the system tells the public about itself in the wake of outrage over its own violence that actually in every single instance that I studied in the 20th century led to the increase in the size and power and budgets of the very institutions that were committing that violence?"
"If I have to say one thing in this moment, it is do not become distracted by meaningless and counterproductive so-called reforms."
"Body cameras are a mirage... they have been an essential propaganda tool in convincing so many well-meaning people across our society that the authorities care about police violence, that they want accountability, that they're doing something right."
Q&A
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