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Police Abolition Statement

From the Staff Collective of the Olympia Food Co-op:

What has been known to some for many years has now become apparent to all: the police, whose American origins lie in the slave patrols that began in 1704, have not strayed from their roots. They have continued to oppress Black people and other People Of Color, disproportionately suspecting, arresting, and murdering these members of our community. As part of a broad system of injustice interwoven with racism, they also protect propertied interests by incarcerating poor people simply trying to survive. We join the world in saying: no more.
We believe in the power, possibility, and necessity of a police-free future. We support disempowering, disarming, and abolishing the police. This means abolishing ICE as well. We think people who respond to crises should be those who are best equipped for them, such as mental health service providers, resource distribution networks, victim/survivor advocates, neighbors, and friends. We believe that social issues can be solved not by punishing people and depriving them of resources, loved ones, and homes, but by meeting people’s needs and using transformative justice to heal injuries. We invite people to find ways to achieve a police-free world by thinking and acting with other visionaries.
~ Staff Collective of the Olympia Food Co-op
We encourage everyone to explore the following resources: