---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Ultimately, policing in and of itself is…"
description: "\"Ultimately, policing in and of itself is problematic.\" — Alicia Garza"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcc/alicia-garza-8065_itself_ultimately-policing-in-and-of-itself-is_1121589.jpg"
---

#  Ultimately, policing in and of itself is problematic.

![“Ultimately, policing in and of itself is problematic.” quote by Alicia Garza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcc/alicia-garza-8065_itself_ultimately-policing-in-and-of-itself-is_1121589.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcc/alicia-garza-8065_itself_ultimately-policing-in-and-of-itself-is_1121589.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcc/alicia-garza-8065_itself_ultimately-policing-in-and-of-itself-is_1121589.jpg)

> “Ultimately, policing in and of itself is problematic.”

[Alicia Garza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-garza/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Policing inherently carries systemic issues that need reform beyond surface changes.

**In simple terms:** Policing has deep problems.

Key Takeaway

Address systemic flaws, not just symptoms.

Themes

justice systemic reform policing

Mood

concerned determined

Type

activist analytical

When to use this quote

- policy advocacy
- community organizing
- law enforcement training

Key Concepts

Power dynamics institutional bias community trust

Questions to Reflect On

- How can communities hold police accountable?
- What structural changes are most urgent?

A Different Perspective

Reforms may be resisted by entrenched interests.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Police](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/police/) [Policing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/policing/)

## Related quotes

> [Black Lives Matter is not just concerned with what happens in policing. The disregard, the disrespect, and the lack of dignity for black life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-garza/black-lives-matter-is-not-just-concerned-with-what-happens-in/)

[Alicia Garza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-garza/)

> [There has to be a readjustment of resources that is being diverted to police and policing as opposed to community health services, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-garza/there-has-to-be-a-readjustment-of-resources-that-is-being-diverted-to/)

[Alicia Garza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-garza/)

> [Ultimately, political order does not generate itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/ultimately-political-order-does-not-generate-itself/)

[Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/)

> [The master plan does not have a master plan. Television ultimately finds itself, and after it finds itself, it finds itself changing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-whedon/the-master-plan-does-not-have-a-master-plan-television-ultimately/)

[Joss Whedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-whedon/)

> [It is people's willingness to take personal risks and confront the powerful by daring to speak the truth, not the truth itself, that ultimately…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-krastev/it-is-people-s-willingness-to-take-personal-risks-and-confront-the/)

[Ivan Krastev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-krastev/)

> [The most problematic word in America is the word "problematic." It's a wuss word used by people to silence language without actually saying that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/the-most-problematic-word-in-america-is-the-word-problematic-it-s-a/)

[Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/)

> [The beauty of a free society is that someone slightly less gifted who works harder than usual can rise; the burden of a free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-shapiro/the-beauty-of-a-free-society-is-that-someone-slightly-less-gifted-who/)

[Ben Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-shapiro/)

> [Everything becomes so problematic because of basic faults: from a discontent with myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-freud/everything-becomes-so-problematic-because-of-basic-faults-from-a/)

[Anna Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-freud/)

> [Physical pain is problematic because it's very difficult to transcend that. Sometimes you're just in physical pain, and that's a bummer. Even then, there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-ebert/physical-pain-is-problematic-because-it-s-very-difficult-to-transcend/)

[Alex Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-ebert/)

> [I think that both pornography and the imposition (common in some areas of the world) of a dress code on women are problematic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-assiter/i-think-that-both-pornography-and-the-imposition-common-in-some-areas/)

[Alison Assiter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-assiter/)

> [I've run into women who can be highly problematic, detrimental, and mean, just like I've seen that in men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-wolfe-herd/i-ve-run-into-women-who-can-be-highly-problematic-detrimental-and/)

[Whitney Wolfe Herd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-wolfe-herd/)

> [Yet there are some critics in the nonfiction world who still look at some of today's stranger interpretations of the essay and say "You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/yet-there-are-some-critics-in-the-nonfiction-world-who-still-look-at/)

[John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/)

> [“I did customer service for a company. I hated it, as the customers knew they were building problematic systems!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/i-did-customer-service-for-a-company-i-hated-it-as-the-customers-knew/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [I feel like the downfall of any person is the second an artist starts celebrating their work themselves, that becomes problematic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/questlove/i-feel-like-the-downfall-of-any-person-is-the-second-an-artist-starts/)

[Questlove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/questlove/)

> [I can see why the UFC would picture me as being a bit problematic, because I do say what I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-hardy/i-can-see-why-the-ufc-would-picture-me-as-being-a-bit-problematic/)

[Dan Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-hardy/)

## More by Alicia Garza

> [What is it going to take to dismantle the systems that keep me from being able to live well and that keep me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-garza/what-is-it-going-to-take-to-dismantle-the-systems-that-keep-me-from/)

[Alicia Garza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-garza/)

> [Black Lives Matter started from a post that I put on Facebook after the acquittal of George Zimmerman. I woke up in the middle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-garza/black-lives-matter-started-from-a-post-that-i-put-on-facebook-after/)

[Alicia Garza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-garza/)

> [Police violence is the tip of the iceberg when it relates to the conditions overall of black people across the globe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-garza/police-violence-is-the-tip-of-the-iceberg-when-it-relates-to-the/)

[Alicia Garza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-garza/)

> [Certainly, we have to make sure our police forces do not have weapons of mass destruction with which they can terrorize our communities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-garza/certainly-we-have-to-make-sure-our-police-forces-do-not-have-weapons/)

[Alicia Garza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-garza/)

> [People think that we're engaged with identity politics. The truth is that we're doing what the labor movement has always done - organizing people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-garza/people-think-that-we-re-engaged-with-identity-politics-the-truth-is/)

[Alicia Garza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-garza/)

> [The history of black women in the economy is rooted in the legacy of slavery. Enslaved black women were forced to provide care work,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-garza/the-history-of-black-women-in-the-economy-is-rooted-in-the-legacy-of/)

[Alicia Garza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-garza/)

> [I think that there is an element where leadership is lonely, but I also believe that it doesn't have to be like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-garza/i-think-that-there-is-an-element-where-leadership-is-lonely-but-i/)

[Alicia Garza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-garza/)

> [The night that George Zimmerman was acquitted, I think, for black people all over the world, there was a collective feeling of incredible grief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-garza/the-night-that-george-zimmerman-was-acquitted-i-think-for-black/)

[Alicia Garza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-garza/)

> [We need to make sure we're creating spaces to create new leaders and new types of leadership.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-garza/we-need-to-make-sure-we-re-creating-spaces-to-create-new-leaders-and/)

[Alicia Garza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-garza/)

> [I have a lot of respect for President Obama, and while I deeply disagree with some of his actions or lack of action on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-garza/i-have-a-lot-of-respect-for-president-obama-and-while-i-deeply/)

[Alicia Garza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-garza/)

> ['Socialism' became this weird household word partially because right-wingers call Obama a socialist, which he is the farthest from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-garza/socialism-became-this-weird-household-word-partially-because-right/)

[Alicia Garza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-garza/)

> [I'll be honest with you: I think that it's really difficult, this framing around 'good cops' and 'bad cops.' Policing, as a system, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-garza/i-ll-be-honest-with-you-i-think-that-it-s-really-difficult-this/)

[Alicia Garza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-garza/)

> [Every successful social movement in this country's history has used disruption as a strategy to fight for social change. Whether it was the Boston…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-garza/every-successful-social-movement-in-this-country-s-history-has-used/)

[Alicia Garza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-garza/)

> [The reason that I started the Black Futures Lab is because I have some clarity about what I think needs to happen in relationship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-garza/the-reason-that-i-started-the-black-futures-lab-is-because-i-have/)

[Alicia Garza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-garza/)

> [The reality is that race in the United States operates on a spectrum from black to white. Doesn't mean that people who are in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-garza/the-reality-is-that-race-in-the-united-states-operates-on-a-spectrum/)

[Alicia Garza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-garza/)

[Explore all 84 Alicia Garza quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-garza/)

## More Itself quotes

> [For not only every democracy, but certainly every republic, bears within itself the seeds of its own destruction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-not-only-every-democracy-but-certainly-every-republic-bears/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“I understand that you are claiming it is almost impossible to forgive, but only easier to forget. The truth is that, you can only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mwanandeke-kindembo/i-understand-that-you-are-claiming-it-is-almost-impossible-to-forgive/)

[Mwanandeke Kindembo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mwanandeke-kindembo/)

> [The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-alinsky/the-threat-is-usually-more-terrifying-than-the-thing-itself/)

[Saul Alinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-alinsky/)

> [No country by itself and in an isolated manner would ever be able to effectively address the challenges it faces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hassan-rouhani/no-country-by-itself-and-in-an-isolated-manner-would-ever-be-able-to/)

[Hassan Rouhani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hassan-rouhani/)

> [In the Machine Age, the company itself became a machine - a machine for making money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/in-the-machine-age-the-company-itself-became-a-machine-a-machine-for/)

[Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/)

> [Its impossible to control the reception of your work - the only thing you can control is the experience of writing itself, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-edwards/its-impossible-to-control-the-reception-of-your-work-the-only-thing/)

[Kim Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-edwards/)

> [A composition is always more than the sum of its parts. In other words, a really good piece of music is more than itself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yo-yo-ma/a-composition-is-always-more-than-the-sum-of-its-parts-in-other-words/)

[Yo-Yo Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yo-yo-ma/)

> [The Bushes were certainly part of Texas in their mind, but they didn't have the kind of political flavor that you normally find in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-collins/the-bushes-were-certainly-part-of-texas-in-their-mind-but-they-didn-t/)

[Gail Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-collins/)

> [I believe that government should confine itself to the public realm and that it should be as stripped down as possible, within reason. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/i-believe-that-government-should-confine-itself-to-the-public-realm/)

[Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/)

> [Art, unlike the trades in the artistic capacity of fashion and food, can literally be anything. It can be the negation of itself and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-phillips/art-unlike-the-trades-in-the-artistic-capacity-of-fashion-and-food/)

[Richard Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-phillips/)

> [My experience, and my results, kind of speak for itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deshaun-watson/my-experience-and-my-results-kind-of-speak-for-itself/)

[Deshaun Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deshaun-watson/)

> [The world isn't fast-paced, it's frenetic. People have to be managers of themselves. Time has been managing itself for 15 billion years; we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-buzan/the-world-isn-t-fast-paced-it-s-frenetic-people-have-to-be-managers/)

[Tony Buzan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-buzan/)

> [Watergate got us to think of leaders as mere mortals. America began to think of itself in a very different way - I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perlstein/watergate-got-us-to-think-of-leaders-as-mere-mortals-america-began-to/)

[Rick Perlstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perlstein/)

> [You cannot catch a child's spirit by running after it; you must stand still and for love it will soon itself return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-miller/you-cannot-catch-a-child-s-spirit-by-running-after-it-you-must-stand/)

[Arthur Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-miller/)

> [I managed to get onto 'The Hobbit,' which is a story in itself. I missed the main round of auditions but managed to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-stevens/i-managed-to-get-onto-the-hobbit-which-is-a-story-in-itself-i-missed/)

[Conan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-stevens/)

Browse all 968 Itself quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Ultimately, policing in and of itself is problematic.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Alicia Garza"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-garza/ultimately-policing-in-and-of-itself-is-problematic/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Itself"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-garza/ultimately-policing-in-and-of-itself-is-problematic/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcc/alicia-garza-8065_itself_ultimately-policing-in-and-of-itself-is_1121589.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcc/alicia-garza-8065_itself_ultimately-policing-in-and-of-itself-is_1121589.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcc/alicia-garza-8065_itself_ultimately-policing-in-and-of-itself-is_1121589.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Ultimately, policing in and of itself is problematic.” — Alicia Garza",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Alicia Garza",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-garza/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Ultimately, policing in and of itself...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-garza/ultimately-policing-in-and-of-itself-is-problematic/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-garza/ultimately-policing-in-and-of-itself-is-problematic/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
