Police unions are one of the most powerful forces standing in the way of efforts to hold police accountable for violence and misconduct, and to transform the criminal legal system. We’ve studied all their tactics and strategies and now we’re exposing their playbook.
From campaign contributions to contracts to copaganda, here are the strategies police unions use to perpetuate harm in Black communities, protect violent police officers, and create barriers to officer accountability and policy change.
#1: Contracts & legislation: police unions use the collective bargaining process and get states to enact law enforcement bills of rights to shield violent police officers from investigation and discipline right off the bat.
policeunionplaybook.org/page-1/
#2: Disinformation & racist rhetoric: police unions create a public narrative that shifts blame from violent police officers to their victims, often invoking racist vitriol and spreading false information about what took place.

policeunionplaybook.org/page-2/
#3: Political contributions & endorsements: police unions use money and endorsements to buy political power and influence over our representatives at every level of government. (Use the search tool to see how much cop cash your Rep has gotten):

policeunionplaybook.org/page-3/
#4: Blocking reform: On the defensive, police unions fight back by viciously attacking champions of reform, bury their opposition in endless litigation, spend millions to lobby electeds, and when all else fails — resort to outright defiance & neglect.
policeunionplaybook.org/page-4/
#5: Defending violence: When all other tactics have failed and officers are facing charges of misconduct, police unions provide legal defense & use arbitration to shield violent officers from discipline, and use copaganda to raise money in support of them.
policeunionplaybook.org/page-5
Together, we can diminish the power of police unions. When you see police unions using one of their plays, call them out using the hashtag #PoliceUnionPlaybook so we can amplify and take action.

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More from @ColorOfChange

3 Feb
The abusive monopoly power of @Amazon has resulted in lost wages, dangerous working conditions, and even the deaths of Black workers.

To mark the end of Jeff Bezos’ reign as CEO, here are just a few of the horrific practices his successor needs to address. A THREAD 📜
Poushawn Brown tested other Amazon workers for 9 hrs/day - without adequate PPE and only one #COVID19 test for herself.

One day, she complained of a headache. She died the next morning.

This is just one example of Amazon failing to protect its workers.
Spying on warehouse workers.
Preventing unionization efforts.
Sabotaging social and environmental movements.
Again and again, Amazon abuses its monopoly power to crush Black and brown workers standing up for their rights.
vice.com/en/article/5dp…
Read 7 tweets
3 Feb
Deputy Fournier body-slammed a Black teenage girl, knocking her unconscious, and handcuffing her while she lay motionless -- -- he must face accountability.

@OsceolaSheriff has initiated an investigation but it's not nearly enough.
Let’s be clear: a grown man should never be able to body slam a teenage girl, especially under the guise of “keeping other students safe.” It’s unacceptable.

We're looking at @OsceolaSheriff Marco Lopez to ensure Deputy Fournier is fired from the police force for good.
Black kids, especially Black girls, deserve to go to school to learn & grow, not to be targeted by the police.

Black ppl are already over-policed, leaving Black kids more likely to be arrested or sent to juvenile detention for minor issues.
Read 5 tweets
3 Feb
1/ Last Friday, @RochesterNYPD responded to a family disturbance call. Just a few minutes later, body camera footage reveals the Rochester Police officers terrorizing & pepper-spraying a 9-year-old child.

refinery29.com/en-us/2021/02/…
2/ This story comes less than a year after bodycam footage showed Rochester Police murdering Daniel Prude, a Black man suffering a mental health crisis. Instead of offering him the help he needed, 3 cops pushed Daniel’s face into the pavement and suffocated him.
3/ America's policing problem has always been a threat to public safety. Mental health professionals should respond to mental health calls. Professionals trained to handle domestic disputes should respond to family calls. Cops shouldn't arrest, restrain or assault children, ever.
Read 7 tweets
2 Feb
1/ Newly elected District Attorney @GeorgeGascon is enacting major reforms led by LA communities to reduce harsh sentencing, shrink systems of mass incarceration, and stop the over policing of Black communities.

politico.com/news/2021/01/2…
2/ In response, Los Angeles rank-and-file prosecutors and California electeds are now engaged in a fear mongering campaign against him, waging battle against reform with the same tired racist dog whistle tactics they have used for years.
3/LA voted for Gascón because he ran on a platform that LA communities have pushed for & made possible over years of organizing. His platform stood in contrast to his "tough on crime" opponent, whose donations came predominantly from law enforcement unions
latimes.com/projects/la-di…
Read 6 tweets
2 Feb
NEW: Today, Color Of Change and @ACLU are releasing a report on Fairfax Financial Holdings Company (@FFH_TO) — the last big insurance company still profiting off of the racist and exploitative system of money bail.

nomoneybail.org
Fairfax’s exploitative practices within the bail industry are underscored by their work to block reform. Their business model is to profit from trapping Black families in cycles of debt, while leaving other Black people to rot in jail because they are poor.
Rafiq Shaw’s story highlights the problems of the cash bail system: in 2015, Rafiq was arrested in error when he happened to be walking past police preparing for a raid. At trial, the jury found Shaw innocent after less than 30 minutes of deliberation.

baltimoresun.com/citypaper/bcp-…
Read 7 tweets
8 Jul 20
Today, @Facebook released their civil rights audit, a product of years of pressure from our team and a growing collective of civil society, researchers and advocates. After years of pushing Facebook to prioritize the safety of Black users, here is our own audit.
First, a little background. @Facebook agreed to publicly release its civil rights audit after a meeting we had with @sherylsandberg in 2018, after it was exposed that FB hired a PR firm to malign our work with anti-Semitic and anti-Black stereotypes.
This is because Color Of Change has been pressuring Facebook since 2015, when we successfully pushed them to protect Black activists who were being doxxed by white supremacist groups after their failure to act.
Read 9 tweets

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