Writing for peace

Key Points

• On May 25, George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis Police Officer prompting action around the world against police brutality and institutionalized racism.  
• Nonviolent Peaceforce is considering the question, what might it look like if we addressed our communities’ needs as neighbors and creative problem solvers instead of relying on force and imprisonment? 
• In 2019, 24% of all police killings were of Black Americans while they make up only 13% of the US population. This prompts the question, are our police really protecting all Americans? Is our current model for policing the best option we have for the safety and security of our communities? 
• This work is an anti-racist endeavor, or an active opposition to racism. How else can individuals and organizations be anti-racist? What can you do? 
• One alternative to a police-based security model is unarmed civilian protection (UCP). UCP is a methodology for the direct protection of civilians, localized violence reduction, and support of local capacities for self-protection. 
• #RethinkSecurityUCP is our project for unarmed protection tips and trainings, imagining community-led safety and security, and for amplifying existing unarmed approaches. Unarmed civilian protection in the US is led by Nonviolent Peaceforce, Meta Peace Team, and DC Peace Team... and we are coming together for #RethinkSecurityUCP to uplift and support civilians in the call for racial justice and in the movement against police brutality and state-sanctioned violence. Join the conversation: What would need to change for everyone in your community to feel safe? Are there actions you can take (or you are already taking) to make this happen? 
• Any anti-racist work must listen to and elevate the voices of Black activists from the most affected communities as an alternative, demilitarized security model is created.