We don’t need to rely on ineffective police and criminal legal reforms to keep Denton safe. We don’t need police officers in our neighborhoods to keep Denton safe. We don’t need jails to keep Denton safe. All we need to keep Denton safe is to acknowledge the realities around us, invest in people instead of policing, and keep pushing for the future that we want for our city. We don’t need police to keep us safe, we keep us safe.

When we try to make our abortion activism inclusive, we need know and accept that people across the gender spectrum can get pregnant. This goes beyond language and gets into who needs what. Of course we should make sure that our chants and fliers are gender inclusive, but our activism needs to reflect the fact that everyone with an active uterus deserves the right to abortion care.

Despite how these opportunities may be pitched as learning opportunities or paths for growth and career development, the young people who follow through with them are pushing the agenda of the organization. The work that they’re doing and the organizing that they accomplished is associated with a brand, and it makes no sense to me that we shouldn’t be paid for that kind of work. Young people are worth the investment of not just skills, but resources as well.