Hayes, Chris. A Colony in a Nation. W. W. Norton and Company. New York. 2017.
Reflecting on law enforcement differences in the United States which you can see when you compare poorer mostly non-white neighbourhoods and richer mostly white neighbourhoods.
- block-wise scale across the landscape
- economic injustice
- racial fear
Examining the table below, does this view apply in Canada as well? Perhaps in some ways.
| in The Nation | in The Colony |
|---|---|
| safety and law | order |
| justice | revenue |
| democratic accountability | external power |
| community | occupation and frontier |
| citizens | subjects |
Hayes even briefly contrasts this situation with Europe. While the American law enforcement environment sees all equally, it pushes everyone down to be subjects. The European system pulls everyone up to be citizens. Perhaps only because the European system evolved from a two-tiered system: serfs and aristocrats. The European system evolved so that everyone was treated with humanity while the American system evolved to treat everyone as thugs.
Hurt people hurt people.
We would need to start treating everyone with humanity and acknowledging potential for growth. To create connection and equity.
You can listen to an author interview on 1A.