Resources

In the midst of a national reckoning around the violence of policing, and a national conversation about sexual assault prompted by #MeToo and the ‘me, too.’ movement launched by Tarana Burke, sexual violence by law enforcement officers – including local and state police, ICE agents and Border Patrol, school “resource” officers, federal law enforcement agents, probation and parole officers – remains shrouded in silence. Survivors of police sexual violence are rarely heard from or discussed in either conversation, and their experiences generally do not drive organizing and advocacy in either context.

This report, in conjunction with an accompanying curriculum for sexual assault service providers, is intended to contribute to breaking this silence, to summarize what we know about sexual violence by law enforcement officers, and to offer concrete steps toward prevention of police sexual violence and increased safety, support, and opportunities for healing for survivors. For more information and a more detailed analysis of police sexual violence, see Invisible No More: Police Violence Against Black Women and Women of Color (excerpts available at invisiblenomorebook.com).

Two Sides of Justice is a collection of narratives from system survivors. The criminal justice system has altered the lives of the people whose stories you are about to hear, sometimes for the better but more often for the worse. This curriculum resource was created by educator & long-time Project NIA volunteer Santera Matthews for educators and organizers who would like to use the stories to start or extend discussions about harm, violence and criminalization in their communities. This work is part of the Building Accountable Communities Project (BAC) spearheaded by Project NIA. The curriculum was designed by Rachel Hoffman.

YouTube has partnered with AAPF and Executive Director Kimberlé Crenshaw to elevate the stories of Black women, girls, and femmes who have been stolen by state-sanctioned violence and racial injustice. Know their names. Hear their stories. We stand in solidarity against violence toward Black women and girls.

This research brief reviews existing empirical research on the impacts of decriminalization — and conversely criminalization — of sex work to inform recommendations for policy and practice. The ACLU has a history of supporting the decriminalization of sex work, but as efforts for U.S. legislative reform at the local, state, and federal level grow, examining the potential impacts of proposed policies is critical. Developed in consultation with local affiliates and sex worker organizers, this Brief provides an assessment of the growing evidence base on the potential benefits and harms of the decriminalization of consensual sex work (including buyer-only criminalization and full criminalization) and concludes with specific recommendations for policymakers, law enforcement, advocates, and researchers.

Areva is joined by Andrea Ritchie, Breaion King, Michelle Jacobs, Shalonda Jones, Dr. Thalia González and Dr. Treva Lindsey. Why are Black girls and women abused by police invisible? These experts say its deeper than race.

This 2015 report details the effects of criminalization on the homeless residents of San Francisco. Since 1981, San Francisco has passed more local measures to criminalize sleeping, sitting, or panhandling in public spaces than any other city in the state of California. During this same period, the United States has experienced the greatest expansion of its jail and prison system under any democracy in history. This expansion has primarily affected the poorest members of this society. This report documents and analyzes the impacts of the rising tide of anti-homeless laws in our era of mass incarceration on those experiencing homelessness in San Francisco.

A collection of common questions related to abolition, policing, and incarceration and links to find resources for further education and organizing.

In this episode, Angela Davis discusses her experience this summer during uprising, the remarkable popularization of abolition, the significance of addressing gender violence and inequality in the fight for liberation, and much much more.

Authored by Rebecca Epstein, Jamilia J. Blake, and Thalia González, this 2017 report provides – for the first time – data showing that adults view Black girls as less innocent and more adult-like than their white peers, especially in the age range of 5-14. The report builds on similar results that have emerged from studies of adult perceptions of Black boys. In 2014, for example, research by Professor Phillip Goff and colleagues revealed that beginning at the age of 10, Black boys are more likely than their white peers to be misperceived as older, viewed as guilty of suspected crimes, and face police violence if accused of a crime.