Abolishing Police: Debunking and countering coppaganda myths

When copaganda becomes pervasive and widespread, it is our task to counter it. In this workshop we will provide a short theoretical overview on how imperialism uses police and policing as one of the tools to normalize surveillance and impose a social order upon us. As abolitionists, we question and reject power of policing. Instead, we define our own zones of safety, free of colonial, white-supremacist and ableist notions that underpin conventional state policing practices. To better our understanding of why and how to counter policing practices, this workshop will lay down a brief history of Dutch police & policing and how this relates to racial capitalism. With the historical and political-economic context in mind, we will set out together to bust the most common myths around policing. "But what about the rapists?", "Who else do I call during a robbery?", "A world without police means chaos and violence!", "Tell me about a single place in the world where policing doesn't exist". Through role-play with our comrades we will play out common conversations that every abolitionist encounters: the daily copaganda, the common myths, but also the doubts we may face ourselves while fighting for abolition. The goal of the workshop is to solidify our understanding of police abolition, to strengthen our arguments for the abolitionist case, and to practice these tough conversations to build our own abolitionist mythbusting toolkit. ​​​​
On access:
- The content of this workshop can elicit emotional responses since we will be discussing institutional violence and social control on racialised and other minority groups. Additionally, the role-play can channel states of body & mind that can feel more emotionally laden than normal. We will take care to respect eachothers boundaries on what they want to listen to and participate in, and to participate in whichever way feels safe & comfortable for them (e.g. only watch/listen to others, leave midway, etc)
- The workshop will be provided in English, with a possibility for whisper translation to Dutch. Texts will be available in both English and Dutch. Audio reinforcement will be provided, but as of the moment, no sign language interprator will be available.
- The workshop will include the physical activity of writing on paper with printed text. If you would like text that is printed in specific fonts, size or color, without illustrations, or would instead prefer an online version, please reach out to the email address and we will provide an adjusted version.
- This will be a covid conscious workshop, wearing a face mask is encouraged (not obligatory), and free masks and covid self-tests will be provided.
- Following online is an option, please reach out to the email address provided below for a link.
For any questions or specific requests about the accessibility of this workshop specifically (not that of 2.Dh5 in general), please reach out to accessatevent@proton.me