Dear friends, check out some of the work we have been doing!
On Saturday (4/16) the Coalition held its SECOND presentation at the Noname Bookclub. We dove deep into our report Automating Banishment the Surveillance and Policing of Looted Land, engaging in collective conversation with attendees about our findings. Topics discussed spanned from the history of policing to collectively envisioning what safety might look like without police. After the conversation participants mailed copies of the report to incarcerated Bookclub members.
On Monday (4/18) the Coalition held our monthly Data Driven Policing Work Group meeting where we provided updates on the ongoing fights.
On Tuesday (4/19) we held our 99th Webinar during which we began our dive into Part 5 of our report Automating Banishment – Racial Terror and White Wealth in South Central. Participants took a closer look at the violent impact data driven policing operations have had in the historically Black neighborhoods of South Central LA. We used Operation LASER’s implementation in South Central as a case study on how anti-Blackness is paramount in dictating LAPD racial violence. We were joined by Mama Paula of Black Lives Matter Los Angeles to discuss the scope of LAPD violence and the concurrent banishment of community members.
On Wednesday (4/20) Pete White of LA CAN and our very own Hamid Khan participated in an Instagram live hosted by Schools Not Prisons. The conversation analyzed community policing through the lens of counter-insurgency. The duo premiered the NO COMMUNITY SAFETY IN POLICING campaign which was developed in partnership with the Othering and Belonging Institute. As part of the campaign, we unveiled a new website developed by the brilliant Cris. Check out nocsp.org to learn more
As part of the NO COMMUNITY SAFETY IN POLICING campaign, we’ll be hosting an in-person collective discussion on community policing and counter-insurgency. Join us this upcoming Thursday 4/28 at 7 pm in front of LAPD HQ, 100 W. 1st St., LA 90012
Later that evening the War on Youth Work Group met to flesh out our outreach plans for schools and educators. With the acceptance of the Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention grant by LAPD and the inevitable implementation of the Providing Alternatives to Hinder Extremism program, it’s imperative that we educate and build power among students and teachers to recognize and reject this program in our schools. Stay tuned for more details on upcoming outreach events.
On Friday (4/22) the Coalition presented at “The Classroom as Liberatory Practice” series at USC. The series consisted of abolitionist pedagogy workshops with the Coalition’s focus being on Settler Universities and Data Driven Policing. Shakeer, Ni, and Akhil discussed Academia’s role in pushing the state’s settler-colonial efforts globally and bolstering Data Driven Policing. The team then discussed what bringing the classroom to the community might look like, collectively envisioning the practice of decolonizing knowledge.
To plug in with any of the work groups listed above, or for more information about the Stop LAPD Spying Coalition, email us at stoplapdspying@gmail.com.
If you or your organization are interested in hosting a teach-in or discussion regarding our report please fill out this google form.