Tag: defund

Solidaire members and staff in the Decarceration Working Group co-created Defund the Police for Funders. This document is a tool for philanthropy to understand better the demand to defund the police and to support work in that regard.

“We want to work towards a future for Black people and all impacted communities where they can move freely through the world without being harassed, intimidated, or harmed by police.”

In the wake of the George Floyd Uprisings, the controversial rally cry of #DefundThePolice entered the mainstream discourse. The mainstreaming of this demand was an exciting leap forward for organizers working against mass incarceration and police terror for decades. This demand and work mark important shifts from reacting to the losses of an ever-increasing carceral state to proactively demanding another approach to true public safety. For the first time, there is a national conversation about taking taxpayer dollars away from criminalizing our people and toward social services that address the root cause of crime.

For many who consider themselves allies of the movement for racial equality, defunding the police seems to be a foolhardy demand. Our primer addresses the trepidation many feel by outlining the history, strategy, and urgency of the demand to defund the police. It provides tips and resources for having conversations about police budgets. Our primer offers examples of community alternatives to policing and the common mistakes funders make in this space. At a time when philanthropy needs to double down on long-term support of movements working toward racial justice, we hope this primer helps you and your organizing of philanthropy.

We will host meaningful conversations about these issues in our Beloved Fridays space over the coming weeks. We hope that you will find this tool useful for organizing more individuals and institutions toward resourcing a world where everyone can live without fear of police violence. Feel free to share Defund the Police for Funders widely and contact us for support in your decarceration organizing efforts.

Read Defund the Police for Funders here.