imagining a world without police
On April 12, two Black men were arrested by Philadelphia police after a Starbucks barista called 911 to complain that they were sitting in the store without having made a purchase. The incident was caught on video, sparking a national conversation about white people calling the police simply out of inconvenience -- calls that often turn deadly for Black folks. The policing system in the United States is deeply problematic. Too often today and throughout our history, our nation has used policing to serve powerful, monied interests to prevent people of color and people with low income from obtaining equal rights and equal protection under the law.
SURJ is inviting white folks across the country to examine our relationship to policing, especially given the increasing numbers of incidents of white people calling the police to report Black people for doing all manner of things, including: sitting in a Starbucks, having a barbecue, sleeping in their own dorm room, renting an AirBnB, eating at Waffle House, golfing, walking through their own neighborhood, driving with leaves on their car, and much more. We invite white folks to take action below -- whether that's educating yourself more deeply about the history of policing in the U.S., examining alternatives to policing, or pledging to not call the police. Check out the links below for resources:
SURJ is inviting white folks across the country to examine our relationship to policing, especially given the increasing numbers of incidents of white people calling the police to report Black people for doing all manner of things, including: sitting in a Starbucks, having a barbecue, sleeping in their own dorm room, renting an AirBnB, eating at Waffle House, golfing, walking through their own neighborhood, driving with leaves on their car, and much more. We invite white folks to take action below -- whether that's educating yourself more deeply about the history of policing in the U.S., examining alternatives to policing, or pledging to not call the police. Check out the links below for resources:
- History of Policing in the United States
- Alternatives to Calling the Police
- Anne Braden's "A Letter to White Southern Women" -- offers perspective on the role of white women in establishing racist policing practices, and the history that has led to many calls to police being placed by white women
- SURJ Faith's "Community Safety For All" campaign (along with a very helpful FAQ here and many political education resources here)
- LOADS more reading and resources from White Noise Collective