LITERATE APE

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Alternatives to and variations on the slogan “Defund the Police,” because, let’s face it, it could use some improving, or at least some explanation and elaboration

By Elizabeth Harper

Reduce Harm, Not People

Keep Your Racist Laws Off My Friends

Fund Schools, Not Prisons

Defund The Prison-Industrial Complex

Clog The School-to-Prison Pipeline With Love (And Resources For Underserved Communities)

Your Discomfort Is Not My Crime

All Children Deserve Care, Respect, Food, Shelter, Clothing, Education, Housing, Family, Love, Understanding, Opportunities, And Second Chances

Follow The Money, Not The “Criminal”

Survival Is Not Criminal

People Can’t Build Bridges If They’re Locked Up In Cages

A Mental Health Crisis Is Not A Crime

School Supplies, Not Military-Grade Weapons

Fund People, Not Prisons

Love Is The Answer, But Not The Only Answer

Handle With Care, Not Handcuffs

Systemic, Structural, Cultural, And Epistemic Violence Result In And Exacerbate Direct And Discrete Acts Of Violence By And Between Individuals

Violence Is A Public Health Issue

Police Are Traumatized Too; Let’s Give Them Some Time Off And Stop Expecting Them To Deal With Situations They’re Not Trained, Educated, Or Prepared For

Stop Using Tax Dollars To Defend The Indefensible Violence And Brutality Of Police Officers Against Civilians

Beware A Police Force Gone Rogue

Could We At Least Get Rid Of The Neo-Nazi, Racist, Fascist, White Supremacist Police Officers? Please? Pretty Please? Is That Really So Much To Ask? People In Other Professions Who Exhibit Racist And Violent Behavior Don’t Get To Hold Onto Their Jobs. They Get Fired. Otherwise It’s A Public Relations Nightmare.

Part 2

Police Are People, But People Make Mistakes, And Why Should Some People Have So Much Power Over Other People?

Power Corrupts

We Don’t Need A Monopoly On Violence

Please Take Your Foot Off My Neck

Whose Interests Do The Police Really Serve And Protect?

We Are All Victims Of Systems Beyond Our Control

Thinking Is The Best Way To Travel (The Moody Blues)

The Most Violent Element In Society Is Ignorance (Emma Goldman)

Crime Is Socially Constructed

Housing First

Prisons Are A Waste Of Human Talent And Potential

Universal Healthcare

Why Does The Government Want Its Citizens Terrorized?

Trauma and Exploitation Permeate Every Aspect Of Our Lives And Police And Prisons Do Absolutely Nothing To Alleviate Them

Behave In Such A Way So That The Police Are Unnecessary

Be A Law Unto Oneself

Do No Harm, But If You Must, Acknowledge And Repair The Harm That Was Done

We Are All Connected

You Can’t Sever The Symptoms Of Suffering

He Ain’t Heavy; He’s My Brother (Boys Town; The Hollies; etc.)

Respect Yourself (The Staple Singers)