Thread by @joshuabadge

Hello friends! I want take a moment to talk about COVID-19 criminalisation as state govt's bring in tighter restrictions and dramatically ramp up policing (thread)

Policing & criminalisation don't address underlying social problems like poverty & homelessness. They attack symptoms of inequality w/o addressing the cause. This approach also targets certain groups...

It's critical to note that the first people to cop fines in NSW were sex workers. Rather than ensuring that everyone is informed & provided for, the response has been to slap people too poor not to work w/ fines

abc.net.au/news/2020-03-2…

From the @scarletalliance press release:

"Criminalisation is an ill-informed measure. There is clear evidence that well-communicated public health messaging, community engagement & peer education are the best ways to change behaviour at a community level."

"UNAIDS calls for a human-rights approach to the pandemic & explicitly recommended against criminalisation approaches to COVID-19. Criminalisation does not deliver health outcomes and in fact creates barriers"

scarletalliance.org.au/media/News_Ite…

In other jurisdictions, we already see cops targeting queers. For instance, eight men were arrested in Spain while hooking up. NB: the reporting here is absolute trash 🚮

nypost.com/2020/03/26/cop…

It's naive to think that cops will use emergency powers to crack down on rich / white people. It won't be people at ski resorts, cocktail parties & beaches that will bear the costs of criminalisation. It will be FN people, POC, queers & poor folks

Policing is a failure on the part of the govt to enact prevention strategies & community-based health measures. Using police to enforce public health is not an evidence-based approach and will harm already vulnerable people. COVID-19 is not a crime