Cops in Cardigans (with Erica Meiners)

Schools have become sites of policing and surveillance that mirror the criminal legal system. To address this, we need to understand what our guest calls the “school-to-prison nexus,” the intersecting web of racist, carceral systems that criminalize our youth.

We discuss the history of organizing against the school-to-prison pipeline and how the call for “Counselors Not Cops” needs an abolitionist framework to succeed. We also highlight important wins from decades-long fights like the recent vote to end the school resource office (SRO) program in Chicago Public Schools.

Episode Guest:

Erica Meiners is a writer, educator and organizer. Their recent books include For the Children? Protecting Innocence in a Carceral State, a co-edited anthology The Long Term: Resisting Life Sentences, Working Towards Freedom, and the co-authored *Feminist and the Sex Offender: Confronting Sexual Harm, Ending State Violence* as well as 2022’s Abolition. Feminism. Now. Most importantly, Erica has collaboratively started and works alongside others in a range of ongoing mobilizations for liberation, particularly movements that involve access to free public education for all, including people during and after incarceration, and other queer abolitionist struggles. They are a member of Critical Resistance, the Illinois Death in Custody Project, the Prison+Neighborhood Arts and Education Project, and the Education for Liberation Network. Erica is also a sci-fi fan, an avid runner, and a lover of bees and cats.

Episode Notes:

• Transcript: upendmovement.org/podcast/episode-205/
• Support the work of upEND: upendmovement.org/donate
• To understand the difference between reforms and abolitionist steps to end family policing, explore our framework tool at upendmovement.org/framework
• We mention the Repeal CAPTA episode of The upEND Podcast. Learn more about the efforts to repeal the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act at repealcapta.org
• Erica encourages people to check out the work of organizations like Critical Resistance, Dream Defenders, Movement for Family Power, and the blog Black on Both Sides.