What If (Who Are We Going To Call)?

LATEST NEWS

  1. 10 Action Ideas for Building a Police-Free Future ~ list (PDF), MPD150, 2019, United States, English. This one-page document lists 10 actions community members can take to make their communities safer and stronger, without putting their community members in danger of the police.
  2. MPD150 Frequently Asked Questions ~ written FAQ (available in different formats) including zine, MPD150, 2020, United States, English/Spanish. This FAQ addresses several common questions about police defunding, including how we will stay safe, what about dangerous people, and more.
  3. CCU: Our Vision for a City without Cops Teach In ~ video, Facebook Live, 2020, United States, Español/English.
  4. #DefundPolice Toolkit ~ downloadable PDF book and toolkit w/graphics, Interrupting Criminalization & the Movement for Black Lives, United States, English. A clear, comprehensive and accessible booklet that addresses police defunding, common questions about it, and how it might be achieved.
  5. Neighborhood Watch + Resources ~ Google doc, Minneapolis organizers, 2020, United States, English. This document was recently created by organizers in Minneapolis to teach their neighbors how to keep their own neighborhood and everyone in it safe, without depending on the police.
  6. Prison Culture » Cop-Free Bystander Intervention: A Video Resource ~ video, Prison Culture, 2017, United States, English. This 4-minute video gives 6 tips on how to safely interrupt racist or oppressive attacks, without calling the police (who often further endanger the people in the situation or side with the person perpetuating the attack).
  7. Oakland Church Steps Out On Faith And Pledges To Stop Calling Police ~ audio w/transcript, NPR Morning Edition, 2018, United States, English.
  8. Alternatives to Police ~ booklet (PDF), Rose City Copwatch, 2008, United States, English. This 25-page booklet describes one community’s approach to the what and how of police defunding & abolition in Portland, OR.
  9. “Isn’t That Public Safety?” posters ~ poster/graphics, Amber Hughston, 2019, United States, English/Español/German. These graphics have been circulated on social media, and envision a world where crises are responded to with care and support instead of criminalization and violence.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

  1. THE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE I SURVIVED TAUGHT ME THE IMPORTANCE OF PRISON ABOLITION ~ article by Michelle Zacarias, TransformHarm, 2020, United States, English. In this article, a survivor shares her story, including why she chose not to involve the police in her abusive relationship.

INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE

  1. The HAVI ~ website. To heal communities affected by violence, the Health Alliance for Violence Intervention (HAVI) fosters hospital and community collaborations to advance equitable, trauma-informed care and violence intervention and prevention programs, and envision a system of healthcare that mobilizes hospitals and communities to end violence together.
  2. What is a violence interrupter? Meet the people in DC who are trying to stop shootings before they happen ~ article, Washington Post, 2018, United States, English.
  3. Creative Interventions Toolkit ~ downloadable book, Creative Interventions, 2012, United States, English. A short and practical guide to stop interpersonal violence, offering resources, techniques and stories of community intervention in & reduction of violence.

911

  1. Beyond Prisons: Instead Of Calling The Cops ~ episode of Beyond Prisons podcast, 2019, United States, English. This episode discusses the “chain reaction” set off by calling police, alternatives to calling the cops, and what communities can do to address harm without state intervention.
  2. STRONG COMMUNITIES MAKE POLICE OBSOLETE ~ foldable zine (PDF), It’sGoingDown, United States, English. 12 simple suggestions of alternate ways to handle situations instead of calling the cops.
  3. Safe Party Toolkit ~ PDF, Audre Lorde Project, 2016, United States, English. A toolkit to help anyone throwing a party prevent and de-escalate violence in their space.

Mental Health

  1. CAHOOTS handles mental health calls in Eugene, OR ~ audio w/transcript, NPR, 2020, United States, English. Ari Shapiro on “All Things Considered” reports on the White Bird Clinic in Eugene, OR, which has been partnering with police to respond to mental health calls for more than 30 years.
  2. CAHOOTS ~ website, CAHOOTS, last updated 2020, United States, English.