Did you know that October 22nd is National Anti-Police Brutality Day?
Back in August of this year, The Independent reported that over 700 people had already been murdered from police brutality and violence, and that 2022 was well on track to become the most deadly year thus far. Despite the gains made during the Black Lives Matter surge in 2020, people of color - especially Black and Brown people, as well as other marginalized groups like queer and trans people - have been routinely and systematically killed by an increasingly fascist police system.
Police brutality and white supremacy are why mutual aid and community are invaluable. dontcallthepolice.com has a list of national resources to consider before calling law enforcement, whether it's for mental health like using the Trevor Project, FORGE, TransLifeline, Blackline, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline; abuse with national resources like Love Is Respect, the National Domestic and Sexual Abuse hotlines, Boys and Girls Town, SAGE; crime-related with organizations like the Victim Connect Resource Center or National Center for Victims of Crime; etc. Additionally, we recommend local Southern Illinois mutual aid organizations and partners like The Center for Empowerment and Justice, The Community Action Place, Inc., Jackson County Health Department - Illinois, Choices: Center for Reproductive Health, Carbondale Warming Center, The Night's Shield, Survivor Empowerment Center, SIU Medicine Center for Rural Health and Social Service Development, and others BEFORE pursuing police intervention. And of course, consider donating and supporting local Black organizations - Black Lives Matter didn't stop after 2020 or after the conviction of Derek Chauvin.
To find out more about National Anti-Police Brutality Day, or National Day of Protest to Stop Police Brutality, Repression and the Criminalization of a Generation, which has been happening every year since 1996, check out https://www.october22.org/