You Can’t Fail Until You Quit
The movement to address the criminal legal system championed by national figures like Cori Bush is continuing the long work of organizing to address state violence
(Photo by Koshu Kunii on Unsplash)
People often assume that popular movements cease to exist once they move out of mainstream media's focus. After the George Floyd protests of 2020, most mainstream media shifted their emphasis on reporting from the grassroots movement to their potential effects on the upcoming election. Predictions of gloom and doom abounded, but studies show that the protests helped mobilize more people to the polls supporting Biden and the Democratic Party.1
Despite this, we saw the conventional wisdom land on the idea of protests as “toxic” and a general disavowal of the movement to address the effects of racist policing after Republicans torpedoed Cory Booker’s George Floyd Justice in Policing Act in 2021.23 We also saw a push to declare the Black Lives Matter movement birthed in the aftermath of the Ferguson uprisings after the killing of Michael Brown a failure as well.4 With analysis focusing on metrics such as search terms and intracommunity conflict, we were told the push to address the criminal legal system was exhausted.5
While Booker’s bill was getting the lion’s share of attention, Cori Bush had also introduced the “People’s Response Act” during the same time frame.6 While Booker’s bill struck a compromise between increased funding for police training and equipment like body cameras and funding for policing alternatives, Bush’s bill focuses on creating and funding alternatives to policing exclusively. While the bulk of energy among elected Democrats was put behind the passing of Booker’s bill, Cori Bush’s legislation picked up a lot of support from grassroots organizers outside of the spotlight.
Senate Democrats are reintroducing the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act again after the killing of Sonya Massey by a police officer in 2024.78 The bill is sure to run into Republican opposition and not clear what’s now become a de facto threshold of sixty votes with the continued abuse of the filibuster. This, combined with the recent primary elections in St. Louis, where Wesley Bell won the nomination for Cori Bush’s House seat, would seem to spell doom for the prospects of police reform at the national level.
However, these setbacks haven’t stopped organizers at the local level from working to enact the solutions laid out in the People’s Response Act from continuing to push. As the tenth anniversary of Michael Brown’s killing was recently marked, we’re seeing a dedication to progress from what have been assumed to be vaporous movements.9 In searching for both local and national solutions, organizers committed to addressing the harms of racist policing. Once the press and many national politicians have moved on, they model the necessary commitment to enact substantive change.10
The People’s Response Campaign from the Movement 4 Black Lives network, which consists of local organizations primarily founded due to the Black Lives Matter movement, is the exact type of grassroots, far-visioned organizing these efforts have been accused of forgoing.11 The day after Bush’s loss in the primary, organizers went back to work by training and preparing to introduce their state versions of the policies laid out in the People’s Response Act while demanding federal leaders join the push to make the vision possible at the federal level. They’ve partnered with the mainline Black Lives Matter organization and other organizations focusing on racial justice, highlighting the resilience and commitment of these movements despite having less publicity and direct attacks ability to organize freely.12
While the headlines do not reflect the conditions on the ground, it must be remembered that policy and practice changes can be far from glamorous. Instead of an exhausted movement, what’s being built is a long-term engagement in building power at the grassroots level to radically address the criminal legal system. As long as these dedicated organizers continue to work within their communities, it will be premature to suggest that these movements have failed.
Silverthorne, S. (2024b, July 30). Do social movements sway voters? not really, except for one. HBS Working Knowledge. https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/do-protests-and-social-movements-sway-voters-not-really-except-for-one
Turman, J., & O’Keefe, E. (2021, September 22). Bipartisan Police Reform Talks, sparked by George Floyd’s death, collapse in Congress. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/police-reform-dead-george-floyd-justice-policing-act/
Edsall, T. B. (2020, November 18). “the far left is the Republicans” finest asset’. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/18/opinion/biden-democrats-moderate-progressive.html
Leonhardt, D. (2023, September 26). The failure of Progressive Movements. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/26/briefing/me-too-black-lives-matter-occupy-wall-street.html
Rahman, K. (2023, July 14). The rise and fall of black lives matter. Newsweek. https://www.newsweek.com/rise-fall-black-lives-matter-1812751
Bush, C. (2021, June 28). Congresswoman Cori Bush introduces the People’s Response Act - bold legislation to transform public safety. Cori Bush House Representative Page. https://bush.house.gov/media/press-releases/congresswoman-cori-bush-introduces-the-peoples-response-act-bold-legislation-to-transform-public-safety
Levenson, E. (2024, July 24). A step-by-step look at how law enforcement’s visit to Sonya Massey’s home went so wrong. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/23/us/sonya-massey-police-shooting-what-went-wrong/index.html
Briggs, S. (2024, August 8). Bill named after former Houstonian George Floyd reintroduced to Congress. Houston Chronicle. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/article/george-floyd-houston-police-reform-19626710.php
Bush, C. (2024, August 9). Ferguson: Congresswoman Cori Bush’s statement on 10th anniversary of police killing of Michael Brown. Black Star News. https://blackstarnews.com/congresswoman-cori-bushs-statement-on-10th-anniversary-of-police-killing-of-michael-brown/
English-Amamoo, T. (2024, July 18). Rep. Beatty urged to join People’s Response Campaign. People’s Justice Project. https://www.ohiopjp.org/blog/rep-beatty-urged-to-join-peoples-response-campaign
Gomez, F., & Sebastien, T. (2024). A roadmap to community safety: A guide for ... Breathe Act. https://breatheact.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/State-Policy-Guide.pdf
Matter, B. L. (2024, March 22). Reimaging public safety with the People’s Response Act. blacklivesmatter.com. https://blacklivesmatter.com/reimaging-public-safety-with-the-peoples-response-act