Hi! Are you a white person having a hard time understanding how abolishing the police works and imagining a world without police?
I can understand that! It can be really hard to re-imagine something you've seen as permanent your entire existence. I think one of the coolest things about being people is that we have the ability to re-imagine, to change our minds and the systems in place. Because we know so much more now than the people did when they put those systems in place, to begin with. We have a tendency to look at the things that have existed and not question them. It can be easy to accept the world as it came.
But I think we're all better than this. I think we're smarter, I think we're more compassionate, and I think we deserve a society that reflects that. White Supremacy hurts EVERYONE.
A lot of people still don't know that modern US policing started as slave patrols. The reason that no amount of funding or training is going to fix the problems is that the foundation of the system is racist, the whole point was to oppress Black communities. I went to school for more hours to learn to cut hair than any police officer has in this country, and I am certain that I got more social skills training in those hours than them since their training consists of ensuring they believe every civilian is a threat. Marines have more rules of engagement. The 1925 Geneva Protocol categorized tear gas as a chemical warfare agent and banned its use in war shortly after World War I. The US police use intensive force casually.
In 2020 1,021 people were killed by officers.
This year over 200 people have been murdered by the Police.
Since 2005, Chauvin is the 8th officer convicted of murder. In that time period, there have been over 16,000 killings.
No amount of training can undo that.
So... White folks hollering but "WHO WILL PROTECT US?!" Open your eyes. They do not "protect and serve." Open your minds. Open your hearts.
It is long past time for us to re-examine what community protection and care look like.
I love this website: dontcallthepolice.com
It is being constantly updated with new cities and resources communities can call instead of the cops. Take a look for resources in your cities and communities. Check the event calendar too! There are some great learning opportunities through virtual workshops.
This is how we start.