Defunding the Police
What does it mean to defund the police?
Defunding the police has a range of meanings from total abolition to reducing police departments' budgets and reallocating the money to other programs that can uplift communities. This goal is gaining more attention every day and more local movements are starting initiatives. Here are two explainers from The Rolling Stone and Fast Company.
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Black Lives Matter has called for a national movement to defund the police. You can sign their petition here.
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You can find local movements below:
Minneapolis - Reclaim the Block petition
NYC - Jews for Racial and Economic Justice: instructions to call City Council
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We've tried to research movements in most major cities, but defunding the police is not as simple as signing a petition. If you have good resources for this goal, please contact us here.
Resources for Protesters
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For their safety, do not post pictures or videos of their faces
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Best way to censor an image (protect protesters’ faces)
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Thread of Homeland Security words being monitored on social media sites
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What to do if ICE comes to your door
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Do not open doors: ICE cannot come in without a signed warrant by a criminal court judge. They can only come in if you let them in.
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Remain silent: ICE can use anything you say against you in your immigration case so claim your right to remain silent (“I plead the fifth amendment and choose to remain silent”)
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Do not sign: Don’t sign anything ICE gives you without talking to an attorney
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Report and Record: Take pictures and video unless you’re on federal government property. Take notes of badge numbers, number of agents, time, type of car, and exactly what happened (UWD hotline 1-844-363-1423)
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Fight back: Get a trustworthy attorney to explore all options to fight your case. If detained, you may be able to get bail - don’t give up hope! Join your local team to defend yourself from enforcement!
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Find a Protest or Volunteer
Below are social media accounts for specific cities and regions that post about protests happening. If you know of reliable accounts to follow that aren't listed here, please contact us here.
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We will update with local accounts and movements to follow for protest info, how to support protesters, etc.