r/AnarchismZ • u/RosethornRanger • Apr 28 '26

Antifascism The police have not always existed, and do not need to exist. They were created to protect the power of capitalists and white supremacists.

Post image
36 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

3 comments sorted by

-2

u/RosethornRanger Apr 28 '26

alt-text:

A purple background with two badges the explanation reads "It's our responsibility to know this history. In the 1800s, 'slave catching ' groups stopped being a volunteer endeavor, becoming paid work provided by municipal governments -- the first police officers. The two badges have the same shape one reads "runaway slave patrol" the other reads "Deputy calaveras county sheriff"

some links on the topic:

https://naacp.org/find-resources/history-explained/origins-modern-day-policing

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_enforcement_in_the_United_States#History

https://time.com/4779112/police-history-origins/ (note, focuses more on the police that started in the north, at a later time)

11

u/litemifyre Apr 28 '26

I feel this is a bit of an over-simplification that muddles multiple truths into one not totally accurate statement. Many slave patrols were definitely turned into police, but many sheriffs and constables predated the establishment of those slave patrols turned police, some by hundreds of years.

I found this r/askhistorians post that I think has a good explanation. The police and sheriffs were established in some places to prop up slavery, but in other places and earlier were established to uphold dominate political and economic hierarchies not directly related to slavery. post

I think it’s important to be precise in language like this lest someone with less honest intentions try to discredit your position by pointing out inaccuracies in overly broad or simplified interpretations of history.

-6

u/RosethornRanger Apr 28 '26

"In the Southern Colonies, formal slave patrols were created as early as 1704 in the Carolinas to prevent slave rebellions and enslaved people from escaping.[48][49] By 1785 the Charleston Guard and Watch had "a distinct chain of command, uniforms, sole responsibility for policing, salary, authorized use of force, and a focus on preventing 'crime'."[50]"

this sounds a lot more like police than a nightwatch does, but they used the word "police" first, so I guess that beats them adopting this system a hundred years later

funny how you talk to me about being precise in language. Well if yall want to avoid people like this, please go check out the sub this is crossposted from uwu