#8cantwait

[paulftompkins]

I don’t think “8 Can’t Wait” is the answer to our police problem.

I think it is time to defund the police.

[wilwheaton]

Posted @withregram • @campaignzero ✊🏿✊🏾Hey fam, many of you have been asking what more you can do and we’ve heard you. Today we launch a new campaign: #8CANTWAIT. Together these 8 use of force policies can reduce police violence by 72%. And your Mayor has the power to adopt them all right now. We need YOU to call and email your mayors, wherever you are, and tell them to adopt these 8 life-saving policies RIGHT NOW! We cannot standby any longer while the police kill people. Visit 8CANTWAIT.ORG and use our tools to find your Mayor’s contact info, and see if your city already has any of these policies in place. Help us spread the word and tag 10 people you want to see this policy! Together we CAN END police violence in America.✊🏿✊🏾 https://www.instagram.com/p/CA_PbOZDDPe/?igshid=1re7ggz069wlf

[birdbathcabal]

[spiritroots]

Divination Readings to Support Black Trans Organizations & Defunding the Police

I’m open for reading requests to help raise donations for organizations that are supporting Black Trans communities and efforts to defund the police and dismantle the systematic racism in the American justice system.

For a tarot or scrying reading, please make a donation of any amount to one of the charities or organizations listed below and follow these instructions. $1-$3 = 1 question, $3-$5 = 2 questions, $5-$9 = 3 questions, $10+ = 5 questions.

Campaign Zero supports the analysis of policing practices across the country, research to identify effective solutions to end police violence, technical assistance to organizers leading police accountability campaigns and the development of model legislation and advocacy to end police violence nationwide.

Dignity & Power Now aims to build a Black and Brown led abolitionist movement rooted in community power towards the goal of achieving transformative justice and healing justice for all incarcerated people, their families, and communities.

The Black Trans Travel Fund is a grassroots, mutual aid based organization developed for the purpose of providing Black transgender women with the financial resources necessary for them to be able to self-determine and access their safest travel options.

The Okra Project is a collective that seeks to address the global crisis faced by Black Trans people by bringing home cooked, healthy, and culturally specific meals and resources to Black Trans People wherever we can reach them.

Even if you aren’t interested in a divination reading, I still highly encourage you to consider donating to these organizations and/or other organizations that are also supporting black communities. If you are not able to make a financial donation, you can still support by spreading the word about these and other organizations and raising awareness about the issues they are focused on addressing.

[tirednoceur]

REPOST, REBLOG, SHARE

[whippedforkook]

I know a lot of people are wondering right now what more they can do to help, to participate. Here’s one way you can take direct, meaningful action right now.

Check out https://8cantwait.org. It’s a brand new campaign launched by Campaign Zero.

If you live in the United States, use the site to find your city, or a city near you, to see how many of the 8 policies below your city has enacted and contact the mayor demanding they adopt all 8 of these policies NOW. If you check out this link, you can even find email templates to use. Cities that enact these policies can reduce police violence by 72%.

8 Can't Wait

Cities that enact these eight use-of-force policies can reduce police violence by 72%. Look up your city and contact your mayor now.

Further anti-racism resources: https://crooked.com/articles/antiracism-resources/. I LOVE Crooked Media. Pod Save America literally got me through 2017 with my sanity still intact. It was founded by four white dudes, but they do an excellent job of lifting up the voices of others and they worked for Obama.

Want To Be an Antiracist? Here's A Place To Start | Crooked Media

Be an anti-racist! Otherwise you're racist. Seriously. It's that simple. Here's some resources.

[feliciasarahardy]

“We can live in a world where the police don't kill people by limiting police interventions, improving community interactions, and ensuring accountability.”

Source: Cleo Wade & Campaign Zero

Found this on instagram and thought it was incredible important to share!

[themotionz]

Primed to Kill: The Solutions to Fear-Based Training (Part 2)

De-escalatory Training

Research has shown that de-escalatory training can be used to reduce police use of force without an increase in officer fatalities.. In de-escalatory training, emphasis is placed on so-called “tactical withdrawals” instead of “full frontal assault tactics”- a direct, full-force attack. This means that instead of promoting a direct, full-force attack on the “enemy,” officers momentarily back off and regroup when threatened with a weapon; these tactical withdrawals tend to get better results than direct force. 

When police departments such as that of Richmond, California focused more on de-escalation, they found officers significantly less likely to use both lethal and “less lethal” force, thereby potentially saving lives. 

“The Dallas Police Department, for example, saw an 18 percent drop in use of force the year after it instituted de-escalation training. In addition, since 2010, excessive force complaints there have dropped by 83 percent. Las Vegas, also, has reported a reduction in use of force and officer-involved shootings, which fell by more than half between 2012 and 2016, to just 10.”

Here, instead of impulsively trying to confront someone, officers are trained to take an indirect approach to protect themselves while they make contact with an individual at a safe distance. 

While guns and “less lethal” forms of force such as pepper spray and tasers can be useful in certain scenarios, there are multiple non-violent approaches that can be just as effective. By changing an officer's training, we can shift an officer’s “warrior” mindset to that of a guardian- one that recognizes the importance of preserving the lives of those in their community. 

In 2014, Michigan officers began to focus on tactics and communication rather than full frontal attacks.  In one case in Kalamazoo, when faced with an aggressive man carrying a knife, these techniques were used. After a 40 min standoff, the ordeal ended with a handshake instead of a funeral.  

Unfortunately, 34 states, including New York and Minnesota, do not require any de-escalatory training, and some states where it is required teach as little as one hour of de-escalatory training per year.  On average, to maintain a certification, de-escalatory training in states where it is required will be about 5% of mandatory yearly training- most of the program is focused on combat.  This is not enough to affect a change in an officer’s mindset.

Procedural Justice

Officers should also be required to undergo training in procedural justice. These programs emphasize the importance of voice, neutrality, respect, and trustworthiness in policing actions. Officers are encouraged to provide opportunities for civilians to state and explain their case before making a decision, apply consistent and rules-based decision-making, treat civilians with dignity and respect their status as community members.  Most importantly, they are taught how to specifically demonstrate willingness to act in the interests of the community and with responsiveness to civilians’ concerns.

Officers who undergo training in procedural justice are less likely to use force, and even less likely to make arrests.

Force-Limiting Policies 

There are additional policies that can be put into legislation to prevent excessive use of force, and to ensure that officers ultimately use the conflict-avoidant techniques outlined above.  

When all 8 of these policies are enacted, they can reduce police violence by 72%. 

Contrary to popular belief, officers in police departments that have more restrictive policies in place are actually less likely to be killed in the line of duty, less likely to be assaulted, and have similar likelihood of sustaining an injury during an assault. Policies that need to be enacted (from Campaign Zero) include: 

Requiring officers to de-escalate situations, when possible, before using force.

Requiring the use of a Force Continuum or Matrix that define/limit the types of force and/or weapons that can be used to respond to specific types of resistance.

Restricting chokeholds and strangleholds (including carotid restraints) to situations where deadly force is authorized or prohibiting them altogether.

Requiring officers to give a verbal warning, when possible, before using deadly force. 

Prohibiting officers from shooting at people in moving vehicles unless the person poses a deadly threat by means other than the vehicle (for example, shooting at people from the vehicle).

Requiring officers to exhaust all other reasonable alternatives before resorting to using deadly force.

Requiring officers to intervene to stop another officer from using excessive force.

Requiring comprehensive reporting that includes both uses of force and threats of force (for example, reporting instances where an officer threatens a civilian with a firearm).

We need to push for state-mandated legislation that allows for training de-escalatory and procedural justice training to improve relationships between cops and their community. .Call and email your local and state representatives and ask them to pass legislation requiring at least five hours of yearly conflict avoidance training, or to implement any of the force-limiting policies discussed above. In doing so, we will be saving lives. 

Click here to find out the training requirements in your state, and here to find out how to contact your elected officials.