To everyone who has their panties in a twist about the BPL being politically motivated/wasting resources on other places - try reading the article.

The BPL is simply opening up access to their ebook library to students aged 13-21 nationwide. In some schools where books have been banned, people have started distributing the QR code for this program and it’s been organically adopted as something of a resistance symbol.

We live in the age of the internet. The BPL is providing access to these materials in general. To be clear - these banned books will never be completely inaccessible. They’re available for purchase. This program simply allows students to check them out for free from a library, which they had been able to do in their schools until recent laws were passed.

I appreciate this thoughtful response, i agree with many of the solutions you’ve outlined above. That said, policing in this country is broken right now. Any policy that includes additional funding to police forces requires major overhaul of police departments first. That said, I think that consistently arguing that our streets are too dangerous and progressives aren’t up to the task is a concerning rhetoric. Fear is a powerful tool, and this entire New York State election cycle has demonstrated exactly that.

Fwiw, the violence leads to violence argument is a reasonable one. However, I believe a lot of that violence in underserved neighborhoods begins with policing. Armed cops who see any citizen as a potential threat have an inherently violent effect.

Also, with regards to the deterrence point. I don’t really think criminals are doing illegal things because they’re like “the DA won’t prosecute he’s too weak on crime.” I’ve seen you discussing your issues with Bragg below, how does that tie into your view on this issue?

What policies do you support? I absolutely believe that violent crime should be prevented, but it’s clear that the current approaches are subpar. This story is devastating, it illustrates a cycle of violence that ends with people who have been labeled as criminals at the mercy of a system that does not seem to care if they live or die.

I am a progressive, I have also been the victim of a violent, random attempted robbery. I certainly understand that crime exists and shouldn’t be ignored. I also don’t think that more police or more prisons are the answer, but they seem to be the only options that most political leaders turn to, both democrats and republicans alike.

I find it disconcerting that progressives are being framed as completely ignoring the actual impact of violent crime. This rhetoric allows right wing “tough on crime” policies to gain traction far more quickly. You see it every time you turn on the tv and see a Zeldin for Governor ad.