What is Police Power

This chapter makes sense of armed counter-protest by viewing it as a form of bottom-up, white supremacist “violence work.” Because many of these counter-protestors arm themselves and/or belong to private militias, this movement encroaches on the liberal state's allocation of “violence work”—a form of labor characterized by its ability to forcefully or violently “maintain order”—to a specialized force of government agents (e.g., police and military). This “on the ground” activity is spurred by an interpretation of the historic function of the state, makes a demand that the state continue to serve that function, and works outside the supposed boundaries set by the state to ensure the function is met. By arming themselves, training in techniques that closely resemble those employed by state violence workers, and making themselves especially visible during times of racial justice protest, these groups work to maintain American systems of white supremacy.