Resources

Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) received requests across the denomination to provide an Anabaptist grounded resource for clergy and congregations to engage in learning about the call for police abolition. When we confess “Jesus is lord” we are leaving behind systems that operate by coercion, violence and punishment. Mennonites have long recognized that following Jesus occurs in our bodies and with our lives. We remove ourselves from military service because we refuse to harm or kill people at the direction of the state. We affirm that all people are made in the image of God. We believe that it is incumbent upon the church to discuss and discern policing as another form of state-sanctioned violence.

This curriculum is an initial guide for congregations who are desiring to begin or continue their reflection on what it means to engage the forces of state, their commitments to non-violence and how to act to end policing and police brutality.

The intent of this toolkit is to further the movement to #DefundCPD, and the larger movement to abolish all forms of police. Our goals are to educate and to share resources for individuals, groups, and organizations to have conversations about abolition. This toolkit grounds the conversation in real-world examples in Chicago and elsewhere, and interrogates our society’s narratives about the police. We also intend to make resources we’ve used in Chicago accessible to those around the country. We believe in a vision of dismantling toxic carceral systems, and building real systems of community safety. With education, solidarity, and collective action, we are building a world without police.

The People’s Plan is a set of public safety recommendations developed by three community-led coalitions (LI United to Transform Policing and Community Safety, LI Advocates for Police Accountability, and United for Justice in Policing LI) with the input of hundreds of Long Islanders. This comprehensive plan presents 12 proposals for structural reform to Reimagine Policing and Public Safety to ensure that LI is safe for ALL Long Islanders.

A brief that addresses the question: what happens after we defund police? The brief puts forth a framework for the key elements required for sustainable and meaningful change in jurisdictions that are investing in non-law enforcement responses. It also uplifts 13 different strategies and approaches that can be used as alternatives to law enforcement. In surveying the landscape of such alternatives, CJP identified numerous programs and efforts that are currently in operation and reflect a spirit of innovation, are community-led, and work to address the root causes of conflict, harm, and violence. This brief touches just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to these types of solutions.

18 Million Rising knows that some of our family members and loved ones may not understand why we must stop calling the police, but now is the time to have these conversations with our families. We want to help support you through that conversation. So, we wrote a letter to help you have these conversations with your own family members. Share this page with your family and take action together. This letter is available in a variety of languages.

A guide to discussing transformative justice with youth, neighbors, colleagues, and friends. A good resource for educators to use with students.

Explore snapshots of community-based safety strategies that expand our ideas about what keeps us safe. One Million Experiments is a place to browse community-based safety projects for inspiration, a newsletter featuring zines that highlight the nuts and bolts of particular projects, and an opportunity to share your projects. Tag projects using #1MExperiments.

An extensive collection of articles, books, podcast, and other resources on abolition.

For decades, New Orleans has disinvested in social services, often leaving us ranked last in indicators of health, wealth, housing, and education. In the wake of national Black Lives Matter protests and the COVID-19 pandemic, OPPRC mobilized community members to defund the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) and reinvest in the community. This resource lists accomplishments and further resources related to this work.