Resources

This document was first created in May 2020 and is an ongoing work in progress! We hope this can be a living and collaborative document. We recognize that there are many existing resources and google docs before this one on alternatives to calling the police. Our goal for this document was to compile some of these resources and place them in the context of anti-Asian racism, in Canada, during the COVID-19 pandemic—and what we hope can be a broader dialogue around interracial solidarity.

Two sets of guidance addressing law enforcement’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These documents follow early reports from New York and other cities that raised concerns of uneven, sometimes discriminatory enforcement, and confusion about how to reach isolated and vulnerable groups. Vetted with community organizers, academic experts, and law enforcement officials, this COVID-19 guidance compiles best practices for state, municipal, and policing leaders as they navigate this ongoing public health emergency.

The coalition discusses the continuing fight to dismantle Data Driven Policing. This webinar includes the sharing of strategies and tactics to build community power that led to the shutting down of LAPD Predictive Policing programs – LASER and Predpol. Join in the grassroot knowledge exchange to continue building collective power in the journey toward the abolition of policing.

A discussion with Professor Bita Amani from Charles Drew University and Co-Chair, COVID-19 Task force on Racism and Equity at UCLA; Pete White from LA CAN; and Jamie Garcia from Stop LAPD Spying Coalition to address questions and concerns such as 1) what is the disproportionate impact of COVID on Black, Brown, and poor communities?, 2) what are the various “road maps to recovery” being proposed?, and 3) what is Contact Tracing, what type of public health surveillance apparatus is being proposed, what’s our defense?

This is a living toolkit of information on police reform, surveillance, immigration and policing, racial profiling, community oversight, and more within the Boston area. It also includes action items and ways to get involved.

This guide from the office of Philadelphia Councilmember Helen Gym contains opportunities to volunteer your labor, donate to a good cause, and get connected with support during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Durham Beyond Policing Coalition developed this proposal because the draft budget for the City of Durham for 2019-20 contained a request from the DPD for 72 additional full time (FTE) officers over three years, with the first year’s cost given as $1,729,573 for an initial 25 new officers. After considerable study, we have found the rationale for DPD’s budget request is incomplete and outdated, and we object to the premise that more officers will make the people of Durham safer. This proposal offers what we feel is a more holistic approach to some of the same issues and opportunities.

A radical practice is suddenly getting mainstream attention. Will it change how we help one another? This article gives examples of mutual aid practices happening during the COVID-19 crisis, the history of mutual aid, and the potential future of the practice as we move forward.

This resource is a living document as part of an ongoing series in response to COVID-19. This crisis is not an isolated moment in time. Policing, capitalism, and public health in the US have always been a crisis, and everything we’re fighting for right now is what we’ve long demanded.