ONLINE FIRST
published on February 1, 2017
Jos¨¦-Antonio Orosco
https://doi.org/10.5840/acorn20171312
Abolition as a Morally Responsible Response to Riots
Lessons on Violence from Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Cesar Chavez
In this paper, I sketch out, following the suggestions of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Cesar Chavez, a morally responsible response to urban riots. This approach recommends that we focus our attention on two structural features of society that underlie and prompt urban riots. First, I examine how King recommends that we must understand the economic conditions surrounding such violence. Next, following the suggestion of Cesar Chavez, I argue we must attend to cultural violence, especially those social narratives surrounding the construction of masculinity and security in our culture. Chavez¡¯s analysis builds on Gandhi¡¯s notion of ¡°constructive¡± nonviolent action. Chavez suggests intervening in culture to provide alternative accounts of safety and success in our society, as well as constructing new institutions and practices that embody those understandings. I conclude by examining two contemporary social movements--prison and police abolition--which attempt to embody this morally responsible response to urban violence.