Resources

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.

Amidst a growing national conversation about sexual violence sparked by #MeToo and the ‘me, too.’ movement originated by Tarana Burke, and an ongoing national reckoning around the violence of policing, one form of sexual and police violence remains shrouded in silence: police sexual violence.

This is a curriculum for sexual assault service providers intended to accompany Interrupting Criminalization’s report Shrouded in Silence: Police Sexual Violence – What We Know and What We Can Do About It. Facilitators and participants are strongly encouraged to review the report before using any of the exercises in this curriculum.

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).

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.

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.

The Oakland Reimagining Public Safety Task Force was created in direct response to significant local demand to redirect monies from the Oakland Police Department to programs, support services and resources that take a holistic view of public safety and focus on addressing the root causes of so-called “crime” rather than relying on militarized policing and a violent, cyclical carceral state. The Defund Coalition is excited about the many recommendations presented that offer a real opportunity to shift, reimagine and evolve the way Oakland thinks about and implements public safety. This report responds to each of the 114 draft recommendations issued by the Task Force. We break down all the recommendations we support, the ones we don’t, and why.

The Abolitionist Law Center has published a report on policing in Pittsburgh, highlighting glaring racial disparities in traffic stops, frisks, warrantless search and seizures, arrests, and use of force by the City’s police force. Despite these disparities, Mayor Bill Peduto has increased the Police Budget 60% since taking office in 2014, from $72 million to $115 million. It now enconpasses nearly one fifth of the City’s entire operating budget. Furthermore, the year-to-year rate of increase of the police budget went up from an average of 0.75% from 2000-2014 to 8.18% from 2015-2020 under Mayor Peduto, even though violent crime levels in Pittsburgh have been steadily decreasing since the early 1990s.

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.

A collection of six reports that explain how the drug war has taken root in different systems: Education, Employment, Housing, Child Welfare, Immigration, and Public Benefits. You can view the snapshots for a national-level overview and use the advocacy assessment tools to evaluate drug war policies and practices in your community.