If police departments won’t remove officers who lack integrity, prosecutors should ensure that no one is prosecuted based on those officers’ unreliable accounts. Chesa Boudin Read Quote
We should start with the basics: Police officers are unlikely to be held accountable if the prosecutors investigating and potentially prosecuting them feel indebted to them. Chesa Boudin Read Quote
Local prosecutors must use the power and discretion afforded them to carry out sweeping reforms that will protect the public – especially Black communities – from police violence. Our system’s integrity depends on it. Chesa Boudin Read Quote
The failure of both Congress and state legislatures to respond to the murder of George Floyd with any meaningful action reminds us that our nation’s attempts at reform can often amount to nothing. Chesa Boudin Read Quote
Unlike many travel books I didn’t set out to travel with the idea of writing a book in mind. Chesa Boudin Read Quote
My earliest memories are going into prisons. Going through metal detectors, getting searched by guards. Chesa Boudin Read Quote
My family taught me radical politics from the beginning, but I also learned to prove myself in elite institutions. Chesa Boudin Read Quote
When my parents were arrested, I was a year old. And like so many children with incarcerated parents, I experienced a range of traumas connected to the separation. I was angry. I was ashamed. I had developmental delays, behavioral problems. Chesa Boudin Read Quote
Because like so many people who were victimized directly or indirectly by crime, I blamed myself. If I hadn’t been able to find closure, I never would have overcome those early developmental challenges. Chesa Boudin Read Quote
Different victims, different survivors of different crimes will choose to pursue different paths. And hopefully, over time, we can collectively transform our culture into one that prioritizes healing and prevention instead of simply focusing on punishment. Chesa Boudin Read Quote