Although some may find the terms “abolition” or “defund the police” problematic, all justice-seeking people believe that the current system that encompasses the police, the courts and the prisons is racially biased and corrupt. It rarely works for Black people. OBS has devoted much of its organizational time and resources to this pillar of our foundational work. We have seen progress but it is not fast enough nor expansive enough. Greater, more strategic efforts must be waged against a system that is eating our communities alive.

OBS has joined allies in working the system inside and out—meaning organizing campaigns to pass new laws and elect officials who share a restorative justice agenda and will use our resources to meet the basic human needs of communities. We spend way much money on control and punishment, with little impact on the root causes.

It is reform laws that allowed Bobby Bostic to seek relief from an unjust sentence he received as a teen. OBS helped to pass historic legislation that gave new powers to the Circuit Attorney’s office to hold police and courts accountable. Having led the efforts to establish a civilian over-sight board in 2015, it was time to create a new office for its expanded functions and improved efficiency.