As some of you who have followed this page for a while now, you’ll know our views on cops, and the institution of the police, we hate them. In this A is for Anarchy, we’re going to explain why that is, and why the cops are not your friends.
The main reason for our hatred of cops is that they exist solely to maintain the status quo, which in today’s capitalist society means upholding the systems of oppression that affect anyone not of the ruling classes. The Police willingly choose to uphold unjust laws, evicting people from their homes, stealing people’s possessions simply because they’re sleeping on the streets, criminalising sx-wrkers for simply making a living, locking people up for stealing food to live, and yet the large corporations who exploit humans, animals, and the planet go unchallenged, ask yourself, why do you think this is? Why can a CEO be praised for stealing millions of pounds yet someone stealing an overpriced vegan wrap is criminal filth in the eyes of the law?
Some of you may ask “but aren’t the police just people like us, shouldn’t we try to get them on our side?” or “I’ve never had a bad experience with the police” (I’m looking at you Extinction Rebellion). Whilst I guess cops are technically people, they are not like us. Do you really trust someone who’s morals can be bought for the right price? If you’ve never had a bad experience with the police, you’re very likely to be privileged, submissive, or both. The reality is accepting the police into any movement not only alienates communities that face significantly more police oppression, it also puts every activist in that movement at risk. The people who sign up to be cops choose to base their livelihoods around protecting the status quo, they know exactly what they’re signing up for and what they will be expected to do as an arm of the State.
Now you may be wondering what we can do to challenge policing in our local area, the easiest way to do so is to start a community “CopWatch” (as long as it is safe for you to do so). What this involves is recording how cops interact with the community, either by writing it down or taking video evidence. Providing those under arrest with information about their rights is also another good way to challenge the abuses by cops, again, only if it is safe for you to do so.
For information on your rights (with a focus on protests but a good starter in general) check out https://greenandblackcross.org/action/know-your-rights/ and https://network23.org/freebeagles/
For what to do during an immigration raid/immigration check (fuck “immigration enforcement” too) check out https://network23.org/antiraids/immigration-checks-know-your-rights/
Both of the above sites provide “bust cards” free to print, as well as other pdf’s and zines about your rights, and what cops can and can’t do
For more information about policing in general, and alternatives to cops (although with a slight USA centred spin) check out the following:
https://crimethinc.com/podcasts/the-ex-worker/episodes/5
https://crimethinc.com/podcasts/the-ex-worker/episodes/6
https://crimethinc.com/2011/10/25/seven-myths-about-the-police
(if you haven’t already, go read everything you can by Crimethinc. as well as listening to their podcasts)
