#police violence

[typhlonectes]

[newsfromstolenland]

I don't have the luxury of viewing this as a purely academic debate. I am speaking from lived experience as a person of colour.

but also...those "actual meanings" you're describing boil down to the same thing: a privileged view on institutions that exist to oppress

because regardless of how you phrase it, what you're describing is a view held by white people that the people who kill poc also help us, or that these institutions that were created to further slavery and colonialism can somehow be patched over to help the people that they exist to harm

and again, those views boil down "they protect me, so can they really be that bad?" and "people of colour are incorrect when they explain what cops and prisons do to them". which, at the end of the day, is white people valuing their lives more than ours.

If your reaction to hearing calls to abolish the police and prisons is "but then who will protect people?", you're missing the point.

Cops and prisons exist to maintain white, colonial systems. They exist to keep power in the hands of the privileged.

They don't protect marginalized people, they persecute us. Maybe you're lucky enough to belong to one of the groups that police exist to protect (white people, the rich, etc.), but if you've been paying attention you should know that they only protect you because of your privilege.

So when you say "without police and prisons, who will protect people?", what you actually mean is "without police and prisons, who will protect privilege and the privileged while actively harming everyone else?"

When your instinct is to ask who will help people if not cops and prisons, you need to take a minute to reflect on why prisons and cops protect you in particular. And ask yourself if that protection is really worth the lives of the people of colour, disproportionately Black people, that police and prisons kill.

Because it shouldn't be worth it to you, and if it is then at least admit that you think your life is worth more than the lives of people of colour.

[hussyknee]

Link to thread.

Link to article.

Link to author's bio.

Alt text enabled on all images.

[lectorel]

Got permanently banned from a subreddit for saying law enforcement shooting someone dead in the street was still a bad thing even when the victim was a violent right-wing fanatic.

Gotta say, I did not expect that to be such a controversial statement. So repeating it here: law enforcement shouldn't kill people. Even violent assholes have a right to be taken in alive, and it's a failure of practice and policy when someone is killed in the process of an arrest.

[thoughtportal]

This is a developing news story and may be updated as more information is obtained. If you value such information, please support this Substack.

On Dec. 1, a woman immolated herself with a Palestinian flag outside the Israeli consulate in Atlanta.

Now, according to the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department, the woman — referred to in their report as “Jane Doe” — is alive and “in stable condition” at Grady Memorial Hospital, where she has been since the immolation.

After repeated requests for her name, the department stated to this reporter in an email that it “does not disclose the identities of victims”. Repeated inquiries to Grady, which is a public hospital, went unanswered. The hospital houses the Walter L. Ingram Burn Center.

“Jane Doe” is 27.

When asked if they had made any comment to tell the public that she was still alive this entire time, the official at Atlanta Fire Rescue Department said they “shared the last updated with local media via email on 12/21/23. The release stated: ‘The victim remains hospitalized in critical condition. The security guard, who attempted to assist the burn victim, has been released from the hospital.’” Several internet searches on that quote produce no results. This would also indicate that "Jane Doe" went from critical to stable condition without public notice. 

Aaron Bushnell immolated himself at the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C. on Sunday, explaining “I will no longer be complicit in genocide” and shouting “Free Palestine!” repeatedly as he burned alive. So, his case — unlike many other self-immolations including Gregory Levey, Raymond Moules, Timothy T. Brown, Malachi Ritscher and others — has received some attention. Thus, “Jane Doe” being ignored fits with the usual pattern. Bushnell is the exception — probably because he livestreamed it. See “Ignoring Immolators Lulls the Society to Sleep.”

As Bushnell was burning himself alive, an officer pointed a gun at him, barking orders as if he constituted a threat. A security guard, Michael Harris, sustained injuries working to rescue “Jane Doe” — but there were similarities, where she was actually viewed as a potential threat.

At one point, the police report for “Jane Doe” refers to it as being a case of “arson”.

Much of the media coverage and general discussion of her self-immolation in December focused on if she had done damage. The Atlanta Police Chief said: “We believe this building remains safe, and we do not see any threat here.” The Israeli government released a statement: “It is tragic to see the hate and incitement toward Israel expressed in such a horrific way.”

Police records indicate that they obtained a search warrant and entered an apartment they believed to be associated with “Jane Doe” — initially using a drone:

The drone was able to relay information as to the layout and the belongings inside. After it was deemed "safe" entry was made with bomb technicians. While clearing the apartment no improvised explosive devices were located.

The police report also noted:

During the search a Quran was found in the bedroom along with a [sic] Arabic dictionary and a Hebrew dictionary. The bedroom bookshelf contained books related to fiction and fantasy. A "Drug use for grown ups" book was on the bookshelf as well. Two journals were seized from the bedroom. A thumbdrive was seized from the bedroom as well. A laptop computer was seized from the kitchen counter. A copy of the search warrant was left in the living room of the apartment. The front door [of] the apartment was secured before law enforcement left the premises.

When pressed for more information in compliance with an Open Records Request under Georgia law, Atlanta Fire Rescue Department claimed: “There is an ongoing and active investigation for the incident in question, which is why the only releasable information has been shared via the incident report. Investigative documentation is not available for release until the investigation is closed.”

[sissa-arrows]

French people raised half a million. Half a fucking million for the family of the cop who murdered Nahel Merzouk, an Algerian boy.

Well we don’t know the value of an Algerian life in France but we sure now know the reward for killing one.

To all the French people who say France is not racist fuck you. To all the Europeans who pretend to be so much better than the US a huge fuck you. To all the people getting a hard on over France fuck you. To all the people who even think about mentioning how destroying public property is bad fuck you. Fuck everyone who is not revolted by what happened.

[wheelie-sick]

2 days ago Albuquerque police murdered a handcuffed man on the sidewalk by shooting him in the head. No one even called the cops there in the first place. APD admitted to murdering this man on television. They have no fucking shame! After the murder they laughed and cracked jokes. At protests they smirked and giggled.

His name was Matthew Freddie "Solo" Garcia

Solo had a wife, Biana, and two children, Matt Jr. and Azul. These children are growing up without a father because APD are violent and uncontrolled.

His name was Matthew Freddie "Solo" Garcia

His family never received any notice from the police about Solo's death. They were informed by community members. When Bianca tried to identify his body she was taken away in handcuffs.

His name was Matthew Freddie "Solo" Garcia

Solo was loved by his family, his friends, and the community. He was valued, and he had worth. Solo should still be here, Solo would still be here if it weren't for the police force that seeks to execute people like him. Solo was a gift to the world and the world will miss him dearly.

Rest in peace Solo, long live Solo

[rebel-girl-queen-of-my-world]

“There are principles and there are human lives that matter more than our careers and our futures. …the commitment to Gaza runs deeper than fears for our safety, fears for our careers, fears for our paychecks. It is a fundamental obligation we have as citizens of a country that is presiding over, arming this genocide, and as students at a university that is invested in those same weapons manufacturers and that has partnered with the same apartheid institutions that train that military and develop its technology. …For me the next step is a simple one… to keep fighting with every breath we have, with everything we have for the people of Gaza, because the blood of those kids is on our hands…”

If we can’t put stopping this brutality before our own fears about career, reputation, fucking profits - we’ve misunderstood the assignment of being a human.

Repost from @mo_hamz

•

‼️EVERY SINGLE HUMAN BEING NEEDS TO WATCH AND HEAR THIS INTERVIEW‼️

[alwaysbewoke]

[workersolidarity]

🇺🇸🇵🇸 🚨

VIOLENT SUPPRESSION OF AMERICAN PROTESTS INTENSIFIES

📹 The heavily militarized American police continue to violently suppress student protests against the Israeli occupation's ongoing genocide in Gaza.

Police have assaulted and arrested over 900 demonstrators since April 18th, in service of the Israeli occupation and US defense contractors profiting off the genocide of Palestinians.

#source

#videosource

@WorkerSolidarityNews

[politijohn]

Much more interactive data here

[a-queer-seminarian]

The disabled people most vulnerable to police violence are BIPOC with mental illness, autism, or another disability that causes “erratic” movements, difficulty complying with police orders, or speech / behavior that police deem threatening.

Especially vulnerable are those experiencing a mental health crisis who call the police for help (like Massey), or have the police called for them or on them.

Why do we send armed police with little or no mental health training to such cases?? Disabled people deserve better.

Resources on police violence & mental illness / disability:

treatmentadvocacycenter.org/criminalization

policingequity.org’s handbook “Redesigning Public Safety: Mental Health Emergency Response”

namiillinois.org/half-people-killed-police-disability-report

rudermanfoundation.org’s reports on police & disability

Resources on police & prison abolition:

Angela Davis, Are Prisons Obsolete? & Freedom Is a Constant Struggle

Derecka Purnell, Becoming Abolitionists

abolitionistfutures.com/resources

[sayruq]

[thoughtportal]

[sissa-arrows]

The homeless man who was killed by a cop in France that I mentioned in this post?

Well the updates are making it so much worst.

Like I said he was Algerian. He was 32. His name was Amar and he was killed by a cop cause he was sleeping in the backyard shed of the cop’s grandma. At first we were told he was illegally sleeping there, threatened the cop with a gun then the story changed to a knife then to a weapon and ended up getting shot.

Except the investigation is showing something entirely different. He was actually sleeping in the shed because he had a deal with the grandma… she was old so he helped her around when she had to hold groceries, fix small stuff… and she let him live in the unused shed in exchange. So he wasn’t squatting the shed at all. He had a glue gun in his hands that shit does NOT look like a gun or a knife or any type of weapon especially not if you are a trained cop. The piece of shit show him 7 fucking times. 1 in the head 2 in the back. The one in the head was at point blank range suggesting that the cop started shooting Amar tried to run, the cop shot him twice in the back and then executed him. The piece is shit also proudly took a pic of Amar after killing him before he called anyone.

The police refuse to consider that the motive was racist despite the fact that Amar’s family lawyer say that the words used by the cop to qualify Amar during his testimony clearly show his racism. (I guess he used one of the dozen of anti Arab slurs the French have)