Do you know Copaganda when you see it?

A May 10, 2025 LA Times story claiming the city of Los Angeles is in crisis and that Mayor Karen Bass is unable to put more cops on the street gives the distinct impression that Angelinos will suffer from a dearth of police officers. But a close reading reveals a fact we should all be celebrating: homicides have fallen by double digits.

Identifying this sort of "copaganda"– where policing is equated with safety – is a skill we can all learn. But once we start seeing that pro-police assumptions are everywhere, we might ask: what do we do about it?

Dortell Williams, correspondent for Rising Up With Sonali, has often brought his unique perspective as an incarcerated individual living with life in prison without parole. He explains how public safety can only be achieved when you understand the roots of crime in this powerful interview, available only to subscribers.

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The coverage of policing and crime you'll get on Rising Up With Sonali is from an abolitionist lens. It stems from an understanding that policing is a form of state violence, particularly in low-income communities of color and that true safety comes from reducing inequality, addressing traumas, and ensuring everyone has the right to their basic needs being met: health, housing, education, good pay, job security, time for leisure, and more.

This is what I mean by Solutions Journalism for Social Justice.

For those in the LA-area, I hope you can come to my book launch this Saturday May 17th from 2-4 pm at the Buena Vista branch of the Burbank Public Library, 300 N Buena Vista street, Burbank. I'll be joined by an incredible panel of guests including the great academic and activist, Prof. Robin D G Kelley, as well as filmmaker Matthew Solomon who'll be sharing his documentary Reimagining Safety. Most excitingly, Dortell Williams will be joining the panel remotely via live stream from Mule Creek State Prison.