The Shift Episode 65: The Thick Red Line with Howard Lichtman

Enjoy this episode of The Shift as host Doug McKenty discusses the idea of The Thick Red Line with organizer Howard Lichtman. While the Thine Blue Line is commonly understood to be that fine line between the police and criminals that threaten the fabric of the communities they are entrusted to protect, the Thick Red Line represents the boundary between police and law-abiding, non-violent citizens that are all too often harassed, fined and even jailed for crimes that are not crimes. Though there is often the political will to create laws that punish non-violent actors, the drug war and consensual "sex crimes" being just a few examples, the police are the final arbiters of the laws enforcement, and the ones who ultimately decide to use violence in their implementation. The Thick Red Line is an organization that educates police, and helps them organize to stand up to the political forces that ask them to cross the line between protecting the public, and harassing the innocent. Stay tuned as this conversation reveals the difference between a just and an unjust law, and asks communities and police departments alike to work together to ensure that police remain the good guys even when asked to participate in actions that violate others. Join the movement and find out more at https://thickredline.org/. You can find out more about The Shift, enjoy hours of free content, sign up for the newsletter, or subscribe to receive full, feature-length interviews at https://theshiftnow.com/