5 Top Ways To Stop Killer Cops

5 Top Ways To Stop Killer Cops



What we want. My top 5 demands for community control over the police.



What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now! Any self respecting activist or attendee of any protest in the past 20 years have all heard or chanted this classic call and response. While chants are great for arousing the spirit of a march or other direct actions, they are not as effective in achieving demands for policy changes. This requires well thought out and lucid examinations of the problem that reflects both the mutual interests and collective support of those involved. This is no doubt a daunting task facing any movement and a weakness that is easily exploited by the state as we have seen most recently in the Occupy Movement. Finding the perfect balance between realistic solutions that are immediately achievable and much more lofty goals that demand a more protracted struggle are the ultimate political utopia of ideals by any activist.

So what do we want? Right-wing groups and conservatives enjoy more monolithic narratives that are comprised of the singular concept of no. Simply being against something presents a united front. However, Left-wing groups are at a strategic disadvantage because they are primarily bogged down in the murky waters of yes.

Yes, opens the Pandora’s box of a myriad of possibilities. How so? Take Health Care Reform for an example. Left-wing groups and progressives are for it, but disagree with what it should look like, i.e., single payer system, universal free health care, expanded health insurance, etc., Whereas, Right-wing groups and conservatives simply want to stop it and offer nothing. Period. This flaw of human nature lends itself to our current conundrum. We are often very clear on what it is we are against, but yet strangely unclear on that which we want.

Recently, Phillip Agnew of the Dream Defenders and other select groups of activists were summoned to the White House to meet with the President. I suspect to find out what they want and to provide lip service to the pandemic of Police murders. During that meeting President Obama told Mr. Agnew not to demand too much too soon. He was advised to go gradual. This rings eerily similar to the same advice that the conservative clergymen who were more committed to law and order rather than justice gave MLK when he addressed them in his Letter from Birmingham Jail, when he was told to wait. Fifty years later, Black people are still here in America waiting for justice. They left that meeting still waiting for a commitment from the President to do something. I openly wonder if the President knows exactly what we want? Do we know what we want?

The calls for radical police reforms so far, have mostly been provided by the state itself in the forms Police Body cameras, special prosecutors and the formation of a department within the Department of Just (us) to deal specifically with police misconduct. I submit to you that these are all hollow ideals that are designed to pacify the righteous indignation of Black rage and derail attempts to overhaul a system built upon White supremacy. Now that #BlackLivesMatter is a national outcry and we begin to move from mobilization to organization, we must also begin the tedious and painful process of communicating clearly exactly what it is we want and then wrestle with how to achieve it. These are no longer protests. These events constitute an uprising.

Also, most recently, I enjoyed Chris Rock’s movie Top Five, which is a wonderful examination of society, politics and culture. Here are my Top Five solutions to put a leash on killer cops once and for all.

1.Legitimate Citizen Review Board with the power to fire and indict officers for misconduct. Most cities already have an office of police complaints but most do not have these powers and the findings from their investigations are not binding. Give these paper tigers teeth and ensure that they reflect the community they serve and are not appointees of the state.

2.Require a significant percentage of police that work in a community to actually live in that community. This has been tried before and has been found unconstitutional to require people to live in designated areas. However, this can simply be overcome by challenging these rulings in court to reflect similar requirements of local politicians that are forced to live in the areas that they represent. The Mayor must live in the city he represents. The council must live in the area of the city they represent. Why not the police?

3.Have an automatic expulsion clause that dictates that any officer who causes the loss of life of any person who is unarmed and found to be innocent of any felonious wrongdoing to be automatically fired and subject to prosecution.

4. Every year in every city in this country, millions of dollars are awarded in civil lawsuits to settle cases of police misconduct. All of this money comes out of the city’s budget. The financial liability should be shared with both the budget of the Police Department and the salary of the officer in question. I assure you, this more than anything else will immediately alter the behavior of rogue cops.

5. Engage community input into the City negotiations with the all powerful Police Unions for any future contracts.

So that is it, my Top Five for radical police reform to gain community control over the police who are out of control. On Jan 18th, Pre-MLK Day from 1 pm – 5 pm, a closed door meeting will be held in Washington, DC with as many concerned citizens and activists as possible to find out exactly what it is we agree on and draw a line in the dirt based upon an agreement that all attendees will sign to exemplify what it is we want. If you have been active in the movement, you are welcome to join us. Now, what do you want?


By Kymone Freeman, www.popularresistance.org