history
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the first institution of police in america began as a form of slave patrol, the sole purpose being to target and brutalize racial minorities.
as enslaved men became free men, these patrols shifted to enforcing national law. this allowed privatized companies to police not only racial minorities, but other economic & social minorities. the 13th amendment outlawed the enslavement of freed men, unless convicted of a crime.
between 1970 and 2014, the prison population rose nearly two million.
our nation has the largest imprisoned population worldwide.
twenty five percent of the world's prisoners,
but only five percent of the world's population.
private companies looking to reconstruct since the outlaw of forced labor formed lobbyist groups, specifically ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council), and formed legislature shaping the new and improved slave patrols; a militarized police force.
these companies made contracts with states through private prison companies such as CCA and GEO, stating that while these companies profitted off of free labor from convicts, the state could assume profit;
so long as these prisons stayed full, even if nobody was committing crime.
in turn, the courts system was entirely overflooded - nearly 97% of convicts never see trial.
this is due to the introduction of plea bargains, made to keep the courts empty and the prisons filled.
taking a plead bargain can limit your sentence, if you plead guilty and give up your trial.
innocent convicts are pushed to take this course of action, because pleading innocent and losing could mean a much longer sentence.
the american economy still depends directly on the enslavement of poor people and black people.
the 13th amendment did not free slaves.
it put slavery underneath our noses.
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to sum up, the police force is under the same influence as it was when it began as slave patrols.
it was never federalized.
police forces are owned by private contracting companies, and quietly funded through leases between corporations and states.
the prison and policing system remain privatized to profit off of the interests of large corporations.
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historically, many people believe the institution of a police force is to protect and serve.
but supreme court cases rule different.
according to Mises Institute and the DeShaney vs Winnebago cases, the supreme court has ruled that the police "are not obligated to provide protection of citizens."

"neither the constitution, nor state law, impose a general duty upon police officers or other governmental officials to protect individual persons from harm, even when they know the harm will occur."
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careers versus lives
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"not all cops are racist" might be a statement with integrity to it.
but regardless of if individual police intend to be racist, homophobic, ableist, sexist, or classist, they willingly "protect and serve" a racist, homophobic, ableist, sexist and classist institution, used only to cause inequality and desparity.
for a police officer to actively avoid educating themselves on their own career is bigotry. there is no excuse for any individual officer.
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in the united states, black crime is known to be disproportionately reported and falsified.
police brutality, a leading cause of death for black men in america since 2018, is usually inflicted on innocent lives.
black individuals are even murdered as innocent bystanders or victims to a crime.
nearly a thousand annual black lives lost to police,
not counting other minorities exposed to police as a tool of oppression.
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that is thousands of lives that would be saved as a result of abolishing the police.
a few cops "undeservingly" losing their career, versus thousands of lives annually.
what is more important to you?
careers and lives are not a comparable loss.
careers can be replaced.
lives cannot.
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abolition
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the purpose of the police force is to incarcerate.
strong communities with quick rehabilitative response forces would abolish the need for the police force.
the same rooted problem in america, systemic racism,
causes most low-income broken communities to disproportionately be black communities - which is where we see most crime.
if a task force put as much capital and exertion into transforming these neighborhoods into strong communities, finding and fixing the source of broken households leading to criminal activity as they did into sustaining oppression, the need for police would cease to exist.
unfortunately, the current institution profits directly off of the incarceration of individuals.
ridding communities of crime is not in the interests of those who profit from and control the incarceration system.
those who contribute to the privatization of the police force have no means of solving and removing their source of income.
black communities and other minorities stay broken and filled with crime, systemic racism and oppression are not lifted, and those who assume capital through privilege continue to gain.
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simply asking those who influence police to provide officers with different purposes and job descriptions will not change the racist and oppressive foundation on which the privately owned and operated police force stands.
it is time to abolish the police and replace it with a force that is not founded in racism or oppression, and is not privately funded and influenced by the interests of privilege.
it is time for a public task force: ready to protect, and serve, all citizens.
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alternatives
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listed below are some alternative responses to victim crimes.
but what about crimes that shouldn't really be illegal in the first place?
most laws enforced are tools to keep minorities indebted or incarcerated.
most arrests do not help to keep anyone safe.
let's take a look.
-recreational drug use among poor households
-neighborhood covenants enforced on poor individuals
-carrying nonviolent items within the black community
-student loan fees and overdraft fees
-car, home, or life insurance fines used to indebt and arrest poor households
-health insurance fines used to indebt and arrest poor households
-peaceful protest agitated by police
-instagated violent crime by undercover officers
-unprovoked search and seizure, traffic stops, or body scans
-"falsified" ID arrests targeting the trans community
-miscarriage tried as abortion or murder
-offenseless, crimeless arrests made on "suspicion"
-homelessness
-mental or physical disabilities displayed in public spaces
being poor, black, female, or lgbt+, should not be a crime.
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the only reason individuals advocate for police is because they feel they would depend on police if the occasion they were a victim of a crime arose, despite most arrests happening over victimless crimes.
if someone were to be a victim of a crime, below are alternative responses.
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instead of arresting individuals displaying unusual behavior, hotlines to unarmed responders trained in behavioral and mental help could swiftly arrive, escorting that person to their home or a proper mental support institution depending on assessment.

instead of incarcerating individuals turning to drugs due to underlying mental or physical issues, substance abuse services could be contacted to offer rehabilitation, costing less than incarceration and providing healthier and more efficient outcomes for society.

instead of calling the police force as a victim of domestic violence, trauma informed crisis intervention specialists could respond to texts, calls, or apps to meet in a safe place and begin a path to keeping you safe, as well as escort authorities to assess and remove the abuser from public reach.

instead of calling the police force to assess an armed situation, armed self defense and de-escalation trained forces could arrive to remove both parties and provide support and rehabilitation, connecting the offender to services that address the underlying problem.

instead of calling the police on individuals with broken lights or wipers, or with concerning driving, city employees could be trained to accept calls and repair car issues or escort the driver to proper rahabilitative measures.
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notes, misc, conclusion
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below are some examples of police insensitivity, brutality, and superfluousness. tw for police brutality, guns, violence, blood, death.
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-D. Houser was detained along with 6 other black teens for blaying ball in the street, for forty five minutes, held by a report of trespassing.
-Karlous Miller was pulled over because he wasn't speeding, but it "looked like" he was about to speed up.
-george floyd was murdered by police after being cuffed and grounded for a false claim about counterfeit money. officer chauvin strangled him to death with his knee for nine minutes while floyd alerted him that he would die and that he could not breathe. the incident is on film.
-Charleena Lyles pregnant mother of four was shot and killed by Seattle police, fired into seven times. the public case was dropped.
-NYC police fired into the shoulder of a man cuffed and grounded for loitering, and then calling for armed backup claiming the arrested man had fired. the incident is on film.
-Riot police drove multiple vehicles into peaceful crowds. this incident is on film.
-Texas police forces trapped and gassed peaceful crowds containing children. this incident is on film.
-Arizona police hold 7 year old girl at gunpoint and threaten to kill her father for speeding in a traffic stop. this incident is on film.
-Unidentified man held at gunpoint in lawn by over seven officers before brutality against himself and his grandmother, for committing a "rolling stop". this incident is on film.
-Breonna Taylor was murdered by police in her sleep. officers later confessed that they had stormed the wrong house, with the intention to kill nonetheless. the case was dropped.
-Elijah McCain, 23 years old, murdered by police for walking home with a mask and listening to music.
there are thousands of examples of innocent or undeserving lives being taken or beaten by police, too many to list or discuss. but do not stop saying their names and fighting for their justice.
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thank you for taking the time to educate yourself.
police are fascist.
police should be held accountable.
abolish the police, as well as the institution that allows systemic racism and oppression.
fight for transformed communities and equality.
grow the acab community.
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info
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this carrd was made by lixrbf on instagram
questions and suggestions welcome
no need to credit
all information is cited directly from fact-checked sources
wording is my own

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sources
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american police beginnings as slave patrol

https://lawenforcementmuseum.org/2019/07/10/slave-patrols-an-early-form-of-american-policing/

the privatized prison industrial complex

https://time.com/5405158/the-true-history-of-americas-private-prison-industry/

manuscript to "13th", documentary explaining the militarized police response to the civil rights movement, the private prison system, ALEC legislature, the unseen strings of legal systemic racism, companies buying into modern slavery
(please watch if you have time.)

https://www.scripts.com/script/13th_1553

police brutality leading cause of death for black men

https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2019-08-15/police-shootings-are-a-leading-cause-of-death-for-black-men

documentation (images/videos) police brutality since george floyd's death
i will not be linking the individual incidents i have listed, they are traumatizing and dehumanizing.
please view at your own discretion.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Anarchism/comments/gugmt0/thisisadocumentationofpolicebrutality/

interactive + updating mapping of police violence

https://mappingpoliceviolence.org/

police alternatives

https://mcgilldaily.com/PoliceIssue/Restorative-Justice.html

the private funding of police departments

https://amp.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/18/police-foundations-nonprofits-amazon-target-microsoft

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