Our Stories, Our World
A Youth-Led Podcast Series in Parnership with Public Narrative in Chicago
Episode 4: On Public Safety
We Keep Each Other Safe”
In our fourth episode, we once again focus on the topic of Public Safety, but this time from an abolitionist perspective. This episode features community organizer and abolitionist Tynetta Hill-Muhammad in conversation with interviewer Andrea Hernandez. A student and community outreach worker, Hill-Muhammad, 25, also works as the Chicago Chapter Organizer for BYP100, or Black Youth Project 100. The photo they describe in this episode was taken on Aug. 19, 2021, at a rally outside a Chicago Police Department district office in Englewood. They stand speaking to a crowd and the press, in front of a banner that reads, in part, “Defund the Police.” For Hill-Muhammad, the photo represents a moment in time that reinforced their belief that police are not necessary for public safety—in fact, only community members have what they need to keep one another safe.
Photo Caption: Tynetta Hill-Muhammad stands masked and ready to address the public and media after the Chicago Police Department renewed a contract for “shotspotter” technology that activists had lobbied officials to end. For Hill-Muhammad, the photo—taken in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic—exemplifies “wellpro,” a term that combines “wellness” and “protection,” both of which she says are best provided by community, for community—and without police.