Resources

Native peoples’ experiences of law enforcement violence are often completely erased from mainstream discussions of police brutality and immigrant rights. Yet, since the arrival of the first colonists on this continent, Native women and Native Two Spirit, transgender and gender nonconforming people have been subjected to untold violence at the hands of U.S. military forces, as well as local, state and federal law enforcement. This toolkit provides examples and detail of the mistreatment of Native peoples at the hands law enforcement and further resources on the topic.

An encounter with the police can make us freeze up or “leave” our bodies in the moment. Repeated over time, experiences of aggression or harm at the hands of police can seem to pile up and keep us from feeling and acting like ourselves. This guide exists to help you stay connected to yourself, your streets and your support system so you can communicate what you need in these situations.

This zine is a primer on what Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) programs are, what they look like, their dangers, and how to combat them in your community.

Concerned about the militarization of law enforcement, a source within the intelligence community has provided The Intercept with a secret, internal U.S. government catalogue of dozens of cellphone surveillance devices used by the military and by intelligence agencies. Some of the devices are already in use by federal law enforcement and local police forces domestically, and civil liberties advocates believe others will eventually find their way into use inside the U.S. This product catalogue provides rare insight into the current spy capabilities of local law enforcement and offers a preview of the future of mass surveillance of mobile communications.

This is a collection of information and action items around the use of facial recognition by government and law enforcement.

This is a collection of information and resources created by the ACLU around their Community Control Over Police Surveillance (CCOPS) effort, including a map of participating cities. The effort’s principal objective is to pass CCOPS laws that ensure residents, through local city councils are empowered to decide if and how surveillance technologies are used, through a process that maximizes the public’s influence over those decisions.

A collection of media, legislative materials, and other resources relating to work on the Public Oversight of Surveillance Technology (POST) Act currently active in New York City. These resources are intended to provide policymakers, journalists, and the public with more information.

In March 2017, the New York City Council introduced a bill to increase transparency and oversight over the NYPD’s use of sophisticated new surveillance technologies and information sharing networks. Dubbed the Public Oversight of Surveillance Technology (POST) Act, the legislation requires the NYPD to disclose basic information about the surveillance tools it uses and the safeguards in place to protect the privacy and civil liberties of New Yorkers. This collection of resources is intended to provide journalists, policy-makers, and the public information about the POST Act.

A collection of written and audio resources around various topics related to policing, prisons, and criminal justice reform and abolition. Author’s note: In general, I’ve tried to list shorter pieces, articles, and listening/viewing material. Though the sources are organized thematically, there is no issue in the carceral state that doesn’t intersect with another; therefore, most of the categories are necessarily false divides used for purposes of organization. In places where I’ve listed books, I include a link to the book or to an interview with the author.