The arrests of officers in the George Floyd murder is part of pacification campaign


What we have been seeing the last couple days is the beginning of a pacification campaign. Police violence is growing an uncontrollable and leaderless movement and now that the rabbit has the gun, the state is working on overdrive to pacify a popular rebellion before it creates space for substantial change.  This campaign is layered and we must pay attention as:

  1. Officers and government offer concessions and reforms.

  2. False leaders and groups are propped up that encourage people to accept concessions and either tell people to go home, or lead them into mass arrests.

  3. Divide and conquer tactics are implemented in the streets and in the media by pitting the people who are willing to follow false leaders or accept fake concessions against people who know that police will never change, and ultimately need to be abolished and replaced.

  4. A massive database is created of the people who have spoken out, have been arrested, and digital surveillance is used to identity anyone else who was in the streets and was not arrested.

  5. A select group of black peeps and others deemed as “anarchists” are indicted to scare others from standing up again.

  6. Biden is propped up.

  7. And when the dust settles, to regain control, police are eventually allowed to go back into black and brown communities to commit acts of terror that are worse than before.


This campaign is being coordinated by the state, the media, and while many of the groups that will surface in the coming days are pawns for the democrats, some are actively working with the state to silence the collective rage that is bringing racist power structures to their knees.

Since their inception, police have been conducting state sponsored terror against certain populations in America. Since when do we negotiate with terrorists? Anything the people have ever achieved has been fought for and not given.

Our suggestions is to continue to fight. To follow your heart, not groups and leaders. And listen to the people who have been most impacted by these racist institutions who know things will never change through reform.

It’s time to begin considering the real notion that we need to abolish the police and prisons.

Be safe out there.
WeCopwatch

A statement from WeCopwatch on current Anti Police protests and rebellions in the United States

The videotaped killing of George Floyd and the cries “I can’t breath” have shown us once again the power and limitation of Copwatching as a deterrent to police violence.

As protests and rebellions spread across the nation people need to consider the dangers of how they use their phones in the moment and the impact it can have later. 

1. Live streaming is a great way to feed intelligence realtime to the police. These images capture the identities of and location of people who may be simply exercising their rights, but can be used aid officers in strategizing targeted or mass arrests. These videos can also be used as evidence later against people.

2. Our phones are also tracking us. They have always been tracking us. But with a national emergency declared due to Covid-19 the gloves are already off and surveillance state is in full effect. Phones are being used to track movements realtime, and can be used to connect people to incidents and areas regardless of what they were or weren’t doing. They also will show that people were out in public in violation of curfews. 

Because streams and phones in general are and will be used against the public we must consider the value and danger of cellphones during these protests which is why we encourage people to only Film the Police or leave them home all together. 

If you are out to Film the Police consider filming:

  1. The time, date, location of police action.
  2. The identity of the officers present, their name and badge numbers if visible and the departments they are employed by.
  3. The officers dawning lethal and less-lethal weapons.
  4. The officer that are in charge.
  5. Anything and everything the police are doing whether it is their movements, orders, actions, or acts of violence.
  6. If you have police abuse consider how you release it. Your videos can be used to get people’s charges dropped and can be used as evidence. But your evidence loses power when you broadcast it live and allow the police to write their use of force reports around your video.
  7. Get your video to victims. If you film abuse, be sure to try to get the video to the person abused, or the National Lawyers Guild if there is one in your area.

Don’t!

  1. Don’t film people.
  2. Don’t broadcast locations and movements as the police will use your videos realtime to quell public gatherings.
  3. Don’t follow self proclaimed leaders of groups with bullhorns. The power of this movement is all of you being guided by your hearts, and working together to make the world a better place.
  4. Don’t settle for compromises and reforms offered by the police or organizations.

We must move beyond demands for police reform and consider the real notion of abolishing both the police and the prison industrial complex.

Police are the descendants of strike breakers and slave patrols and we need to create institutions of justice that don’t involve threats, violence, and cages.  Envision the world you want to live in, and act now to create it. And always Film the Police.

Be safe out there. WeCopwatch

Man Shot with Less Lethal Munition at close range by Berkeley Police

CONTACT: Berkeley Copwatch
Andrea Prichett: (510) 229-0527
[email protected]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 7, 2020


Video Shows Unarmed Black Man Kneeling with Hands Up
On March 14, 2020 at about 5:15 pm in front of US Liquors in Berkeley, an African American man was on his knees with empty hands outstretched while five Berkeley Police officers detained and then shot him with a “less-lethal” round. In a video recording of the incident provided to Berkeley Copwatch, the man is seen talking to the officers, one of whom is standing about 12 feet away and pointing a less-lethal weapon directly at him. At least one witness recorded the precise moment when the officer decided to shoot what appears to have been a rubber bullet directly at the man’s torso. The man collapses in pain and is quickly surrounded and handcuffed by the other four BPD officers on scene. According to another witness, the man was taken away from the scene in an ambulance.

See the video here:

Troubling questions about the incident include:
● If the man was on his knees, unarmed and surrounded, is shooting him in this situation misconduct or a crime?
● What happened to this man? Was he arrested? Released? Why is it not possible to get information about this incident?
● Was the fact that he was on his knees evidence that he was already following officer commands? How did officers justify this shooting in their report?
● Where are the records of this incident and when will they be released?

Copwatch has made every effort to provide this video to the unidentified man so that he can use it in his own defense. If members of the public recognize him, please let him know that we can help connect him to additional witnesses.

It is very troubling that our requests to the Berkeley Jail asking for the name of the individual in question were denied. Calls to the Public Defender failed to locate any person or incident meeting this description. The District Attorney provided no assistance other than to suggest that we file a complaint with the Berkeley Police Department’s Internal Affairs Bureau (which we will not do because we do not believe they should be investigating their own crime). Because the man was taken away in an ambulance, medical professionals will not disclose information about the individual. Our California Public Records Act (CPRA) request to BPD was met with a form letter explaining that CPRA requests will be significantly delayed in Berkeley due to the COVID-19 virus.

Copwatch understands that these are difficult days for everyone and that many local departments are understaffed. However, without publicly available information of who is arrested and on what charges, our city runs a very real risk of “disappearing” people. If there is misconduct, there becomes no possibility of public accountability.

● We demand public release of the police report, Use of Force reports, and access to the body camera footage from all officers involved in the incident.
● We demand the immediate suspension of all officers involved until all relevant evidence is produced and this incident is thoroughly investigated by Berkeley Copwatch and independent experts. Copwatch will conduct an independent, People’s Investigation. We will collaborate with credible professionals including Adante Pointer, civil rights attorney with the Offices of John Burris. In response to the footage, Pointer explained, “We don’t know the full picture, but based on what I see, this is someone who has complied, was on his knees and was not a threat. Why would these officers use that type of force? At that range, these munitions can cause serious injury or even death. Berkeley police need to account for this behavior by its officers and an independent investigation of this incident is definitely warranted.”


For additional comment, Adante Pointer may be contacted at: 510-839-5200

Film the Police for the Victim. Not your Youtube channel.

If you film something fucked up with the police don’t just put it online.

In this day and age where everyone has a cellphone it is almost instinctual to press upload immediately after filming police violence. Wait! Stop for a moment and think about the well being of the victim. 

There has never been an advancement in community control of the police because someone decided to release unedited video evidence immediately following an incident of police violence.

We suggest that you let the officers get their story together publicly. Your video will contradict their testimony, and it is here that you have the power to helpful. 

Video evidence can get people’s charges dropped. And It can keep people from going to jail. 

So before you go live, or upload something to the public, check yourself. Why do you want to release this video now without considering the victim?  Could this video be used to help the victim? Could releasing this video now give police an upper hand? Could releasing this video now give police an upper hand?

If your heart is in the right place, you should try to get the video to the victim or their family, and if you have evidence you may want to speak to a lawyer as well. 

Video can be used as evidence.  But a lot of that lies in you being strategic.

Read more about how to use video as evidence in this handbook we made for Standing Rock. 

Video As Evidence: A Copwatch primer to Filming The Police

Wanna sue Darren Wilson?

WeCopwatch is putting an official call out for legal representation in a civil case against Darren Wilson.

The world knows about Darren Wilson because he murdered Mike Brown on August 9th, 2014 in Ferguson Missouri. Darren Wilson murdered Mike because in his own words he knew he could without legal repercussions.

As we know, Police officers are efficiently trained in how to kill, and what type of murders they can get away with. Generally speaking, if you are a black man in AmeriKKKa, police know that they can not only murder you, but they will get a free paid vacation, and likely a promotion.

Like so many others, in the case of Darren Wilson, there were already red flags in his past. Red flags that if his supervisors in the Ferguson Police Department had disciplined rather than embrace, the murder of Mike Brown may have never happened.

One red flag that comes to mind is the videotaped arrest of Mike Arman on October 28, 2013. Standing on his own property, Mike was approached by Darren Wilson regarding alleged potential municipal violations. The type of municipal violations that local police used to prey on Ferguson residents in a ticket for-profit model that was exposed in the months following Mike Brown’s murder.

This videotaped arrest, along with discrepancies in Wilson’s report, were enough in 2013 to show that Darren Wilson was not only a liability to his department, but a danger to the public.

Ferguson police incident report: Darren Wilson arrests Mike Arman by Jon Swaine on Scribd

We are looking for legal representation for Mike in a civil case against Darren Wilson and the Ferguson Police Department. The statute of limitations is coming up with October, so we need to move fast. All inquiries can contact us at [email protected].

We thank you for your time. WeCopwatch

Three Years Ago Baltimore was on Fire

Three years ago we were on the ground in Baltimore supporting the people of West Baltimore as their neighborhood was invaded by hundreds of law enforcement officers and national guard. We had been in contact with Kevin Moore who on April 12, 2015, filmed the brutal arrest of his friend Freddie Gray. Freddie would die a week later in police custody setting off street rebellions that would last for days.

Kevin told us over the phone that he was being targeted by police for releasing the video, and he was worried for his safety. We had a Copwatcher from Ferguson on the ground out there, and we had him bring Kevin to a Best Buy to purchase cameras. Within an hour, Kevin and our Copwatcher would be chased down by SWAT Officers leaving a protest and arrested at gunpoint. We told the arresting officers who had confiscated our Copwatcher’s cellphone that they had made a mistake, and that WeCopwatch would be on the next flight out to Baltimore. We kept our promise.

We flew out to Baltimore that next day to deal with the legal charges, and began the process of getting our Copwatchers out of jail. Once we were out in the streets we began Copwatching. The community, vindicated by Freddie’s video were very appreciative of WeCopwatch, and welcomed us with open arms. The police were not thrilled, however our group was constantly surrounded by main stream media giving us the ability to move freely, even after curfew was implemented.

Baltimore Rising: WeCopwatch Baltimore is Here

Kevin Moore’s video and subsequent arrest had made international news, and we founds our days there being followed by hungry reporters and undercover police.

VICE NEWS
INDEPENDENT

CNN was a funny one for WeCopwatch. Eager to capitalize on WeCopwatch, but confused about their angle, came to the conclusion that it would be best to produced two pieces on us. One positive, and one negative.

CNN Positive: Man behind Freddie Gray Video Speaks Out

CNN Negative: What It’s Like to Protest for a Living

Baltimore Sun Documentary
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/83897043-132.html

New York Times Documentary: Copwatch Vs. The Police

This type of attention was fairly new to our our organization and we learned a lot on how TOO, and how NOT to deal with the media. These experiences also underscored our position that people engaged in struggle need to be their own media so that they can control their narrative. It was our initial inspiration to produce our documentary Copwatch which is now available on Amazon Video.

Kevin Moore on Democracy Now

As typical with our organization, we spent two years supporting Copwatchers and residents of Baltimore through training, distribution of resources, and legal support. In the end, we watched charged dropped against the 6 officers indicted, and today sadly, not much has changed regarding the police in Baltimore. They are viewed as a brutal occupying army. Drug dealing and street robberies are so prevalent within the force that drug dealers caught with guns or drugs are routinely beat, robbed, and then released on the spot.

One positive thing that we see today in Baltimore is the continued powerful resistance in the streets. Against all odds, the community refuses to go down without a fight. And one thing is for sure. People from all demographics pull out their cellphone cameras when the police come into their community.

Copwatching is tough in Baltimore. WeCopwatch was heavy surveilled during our work in Baltimore to the point that our photos were at the security gate in every courthouse in Baltimore. but we know the work is invaluable.

As with the case of Freddie Gray, we know that video evidence can lead to police arrests, but ultimately we can not rely on the very system that protects police violence, to hold them accountable. But we continue to struggle, knowing that cameras and caring people have the power to save lives. We see Baltimore continues to resist, and we support them in their journey.

Video As Evidence: A Copwatch primer to Filming The Police

Whether you’re Copwatching in the streets of St. Louis, or out on the reservations of Minnesota, this guide will provide you with best tactics and strategies while documenting critical incidents involving the police.

This Video as Evidence Guide was adapted in 2016 by WeCopwatch, WITNESS and our allies at Standing Rock. It was intended to help Water Protectors and activists fighting the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline to safely, effectively and ethically document human rights abuses for evidentiary, advocacy and reporting purposes.

But these ideas can be implemented wherever the police are doing wrong. We hope you get a lot out of it. .
This information is part of our Copwatch College curriculum.

If you support the work WeCopwatch does, consider donating to us at WeCopwatch.org/Support

Also we produced a documentary called Copwatch! Check it out on Amazon Prime.
https://www.amazon.com/Copwatch-Ramsey-Orta/dp/B075VKBVK6

To my Brother in Arms. David Whitt

As I reflect on these past three years, it’s often hard to see where we are, where we are heading, and where we came from.

But today I see so much clarity both in what we have accomplished together and apart. David when I met you in Ferguson, I couldn’t conceive what was about to happen. Who would have ever imagined that we could effectively kick racist police out of your neighborhood using video cameras.

Who would have ever thought that we would help bring copwatch to the people, and the communities that needed it the most.

From Ferguson to Oakland, to Baltimore, to NYC, to Standing Rock, I thank you and am forever grateful for taking this journey with me.

We’ve sacrificed everything, and we’ve lost so much.
But I think about how large our family has grown, how many people have joined this struggle and stood with us.

We’ve been targeted, surveilled, even infiltrated by police provocateurs, yet here we are today. Stronger than ever. It didn’t start with us and certainly won’t end with us either. But I love you. You are my Brother and have been one of the most important contributors in this struggle.

Thank you, David. I see the light at the end of the tunnel. Jacob Crawford/WeCopwatch