Part 6

Resources

This page highlights some projects and experiments in responding to harmful situations without relying on police or State-based mechanisms.

You Can’t Build Peace With a Piece, a statement by youth of color on school safety and gun violence, explores ways to think about creating safety in schools without police. “Too many of us have been shot and shot at. We have buried our friends and our family members. Nearly all of us have been to more funerals than graduations. No one wants the violence to stop more than we do. But, we have also seen how attempts to build public safety with security systems, armed police and prisons have failed. We want college prep, not prison prep.” http://www.dignityinschools.org/youth-color-statement-school-safety-and-gun-violence

The Story Telling & Organizing Project (STOP) collects and shares stories about everyday people taking action to end interpersonal violence. While many of us support the idea of community-based responses to violence, some of us have difficulty even imagining what this could look like. STOP has found that people have many stories about things they did to stop violence. Some are small things, some spontaneous, and some are big or involve lots of planning and lots of people. You can listen to and read stories as well as submit your own on their website. http://www.stopviolenceeveryday.org/

Creative Interventions was an Oakland-based organization that was created to experiment with re/envisioning solutions to domestic or intimate partner, sexual, family and other forms of interpersonal violence. It was established as a resource center to create and promote community-based responses to interpersonal violence. Creative Interventions has published a toolkit from their experiences, which is available on their website for free. http://www.creative-interventions.org/

A People’s Hearing on Racism and Police Violence, which took place on February 19th and 20th of 2011, was organized to build concrete local histories in Oakland connecting survivors and witnesses of police violence and state repression so that they do not have to be isolated from one another. When experiences are shared, we can gain a significant edge in the struggle for justice. The event’s website describes it as a move toward the offensive, linking many sides of the repressive state in order to strengthen our movements against it. Full video and transcription of the event are available on the website. http://peopleshearing.wordpress.com/

23 De Enero, once one of the most violent neighborhoods in Caracas, Venezuela, expelled police years ago. Since, the rate of violence has shrunk drastically. These are some links to articles (in English) about that experience. http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/36083; http://venezuelanalysis.com/news/3159; http://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/8192; http://www.counterpunch.org/2008/09/09/venezuela-from-below/; http://www.theneweconomy.com/strategy/venezuela-takes-socialism-from-chavez

Local organizations that support self-determination and not the cops

Arab Resource and Organizing Center – http://www.araborganizing.org/
Berkeley Copwatch – http://www.berkeleycopwatch.org/
Black Organizing Project – http://blackorganizingproject.wordpress.com/
Critical Resistance – http://criticalresistance.org/
Eastside Arts Alliance – http://www.eastsideartsalliance.com/
Idriss Stelley Foundation – http://www.cohsf.org/?p=761#sthash.Z2nHffjl.dpbs
Justice 4 Alan Blueford – http://justice4alanblueford.org/
ONYX – http://onyxbrief.blogspot.com/
Malcolm X Grassroots Movement – http://mxgm.org/
National Lawyers Guild – http://www.nlgsf.org/
Stop The Injunctions Coalition – http://stoptheinjunction.wordpress.com/

Please contact us at againsthiredguns@hotmail.com if you have more ideas for this list!