It cannot be said that The Bridges We Burn is subtle about our politics. Like our emotions, we wear our politics on our sleeves and strive for a praxis that bridges our ideals, theoretical foundations, and action for justice and equity. To that end, it is important for us to state that The Bridges We Burn is a fundamentally abolitionist project. We do not believe that prisons are in the service of justice, nor do they foster or enable healing, rehabilitation, or accountability.
Because much of our work centers around sexual violence and rape culture, we often hear the question, “Well, without prisons what are we going to do with the rapists?” The reality is that we are currently not doing much with them, besides electing them President of the United States or nominating them for life to the highest court in the United States. So we believe that as a culture, a nation, and as communities, we have a long way to go to actually take sexual violence and the issue of perpetration seriously.
Abolition politics is a new field for us, and we do not claim to be experts. But it is vital that in the ongoing-development of our politics and world-building, we state that ending rape culture cannot be an achievable goal in a world with prisons.
Prison abolition is fundamental to ending rape culture.
Two recent articles have come to our attention that are essential reads on these topics. First, this article from the New York Times Magazine profiling abolition scholar, Ruth Wilson Gilmore, is a great starting point for folks new to the concepts of prison abolition. Secondly, and specifically addressing the “what do we do with rapists” question, Hari Ziyad writes for the Black Youth Project on exactly this in the specific context of the epically monstrous history of R. Kelly.
These articles are just the beginning of what is likely to become a central focal point of The Bridges We Burn as we continue working to end rape culture, sexual violence, and the violence of toxic masculinity through fostering healthy masculinities, consent based relationships, accountability, and community building.
– Brett Goldberg
