In a followup to the last episode, "Stop Hugging Cops," Beyond Prisons hosts Brian Sonenstein and Kim Wilson share some resources and discuss alternatives to calling the police.

We talk about the chain reaction that is created by bringing the police to a community or into an individual’s life, and we suggest ways to scrutinize the impulse to call the police. Brian also calls on White people to consider what it means for them to call the police on Black and Brown people and offers some thoughts for how white people can do better in situations that generally don’t require intervention.

Kim also shares some of what she has learned from transformative justice work and what communities can do to address harm without state intervention. This episode is chock full of insights, ideas, suggestions, and lessons, and it is by no means a comprehensive account of alternatives to calling the police, but it does provide a place to begin.

Resources & Additional Reading

"Chain Reaction: Alternatives To Calling Police" by Project NIA

"Abolition Of Policing Workshop" by Critical Resistance

"Alternatives To Police" by Rose City Cop Watch

"12 Things To Do Instead Of Calling The Cops" by the May Day Collective and Washtenaw Solidarity & Defense

"What To Do Instead Of Calling The Police" by Aaron Rose