“‘It is BECAUSE concepts like defunding and dismantling the police are so contentious and ambiguous that we are now having a much broader and deeper conversation than we did before they was introduced into the discourse,’ he wrote in a Facebook post June 9.
He compared it to how ‘Black lives matter’ was a contentious term three or four years ago, but now corporations and Republicans have joined in saying it, ‘because people pushed the term’ and educated others about it.
Cazenave added that because dismantling police could mean police unions aren’t recognized, unions now have a reason to come to the negotiating table to support other, smaller reforms.
With calls to dismantle and defund the police, Cazenave indicated that people are asking for more than what they think they can get, an important strategy because it leaves room to negotiate, and there need to be people pushing further than liberalism.
When there is conflict, liberals ‘want it to be resolved very quickly, so they tend to be conflict-aversive, so they want nice language,’ Cazenave said. ‘They want a social movement that’s nice. Social movements are not nice. Social movements by definition involve conflict.'”