Naomi Murakawa & #BlackLIvesMatter: Liberals, Guns & US Prison...

We keep hearing there’s mistrust between police officers and communities of color - as if the relationship just needs repairing. But the fact is, police don’t suffer from a deficit of procedure, they suffer from an excess of power, and liberal procedural forms are not going to change that, says this week's guest, Naomi Murakawa. In fact, liberals as much, if not more than, conservatives have expanded our criminal code so as to produce today’s mass-incarceration state. What do we need to do? Not tweak -- transform, says Murakawa And we would do well to throw out our language about police brutality and profiling. The problem's way bigger. Naomi Murakawa is an associate professor of African American Studies at Princeton and the author of The First Civil Right: How Liberals Built Prison America. Also this week: The Laura Flanders Show has been on the streets, and in this studio, with activists from the Black Lives Matter movement from the very first days. Today we present a look back at some highlights from our coverage. All that and a few words from Laura comparing mandatory minimums from 1790 to today. teleSUR