Who Do You Serve, Who Do You Protect?

Comprehension

Before we engage in the eventual abolition of policing as explored through this study guide we have to establish an understanding of the ideas presented. Take the following questions and answer them in your own words. Try to apply these questions to real-world examples to help ground your understanding. To double-check your work, you may visit the summary sections that address the question. 

1. In the foreword, Alicia Garza asks readers to consider some questions. Take the time now to reflect on them: 

   1. What can and will be done to hold police accountable for the violence that they enact in our communities? 

   2. What happens when we question the fundamental assumption that police and policing are our only options for community safety? 

2. In what ways has the media played a role in the dehumanization of Black victims of police violence and been a tool to amplify victims’ stories? 

3. How can we still place the historical context of colonialism in present-day policing practices? 

4. Can you examine a case not included in the summary that shows how Black women are viewed as a racially gendered threat? 

5. How can the experiences of Black women, trans, and gender non-conforming people not only frame conversations around police violence but inform our responses to policing and safety? 

6. In the tenth article, “Big Dreams and Bold Steps Toward a Police-Free Future” by Rachel Herzing, they talk about the current forms of police reform that have been attempted. Why have these reforms been insufficient in reducing police violence and how have some made some situations of violence worse? 

7. Why is it important to acknowledge and include other communities (outside of the Black community) in the conversation of ending police violence? 

8. What are some of the words you have heard used when speaking about oppression? 

9. Could you possibly implement the resolution of “Don’t call the police”? If you can, what are alternative ways to address community disputes? 

10. How can you support victims of police violence and those seeking to abolish police?