I am seriously ready to stop thinking about the police for the foreseeable future.

Readers of this blog know that I have lived with the police (so to speak) for the past 16 months or so. Today I am proud and honestly more than a little relieved to share a set of resources that has been months in the making. My friends and family have no doubt grown weary of hearing me talk about policing, violence, and resistance over these past months. But their love for me seems to have overwhelmed any lasting annoyance.

Almost everything that I do is done in collaboration with others. I want to offer my deepest and most profound gratitude to some people who’ve come on this journey with me.

Earlier in the week, I thanked my friend Rachel Marie-Crane Williams for her generosity, passion, and incomparable talent. Thank you to my friend Lewis Wallace who just consistently steps up, dives in, and always produces. My friend Mauricio Pineda created an amazingly beautiful work of art as part of this project and I am grateful beyond measure to him for collaborating with me. Thanks to Billy for saying yes whenever I say “Come on, let’s put on a show.”

The list of people to thank is long because it takes a village (at least) to build and create anything worthwhile. I want to acknowledge everyone who has contributed to this project and say THANK YOU!

You will find the following resources here:

1. A set of pamphlets about historical moments of policing, violence and resistance.
2. A new guide with activities and resources for talking to youth about policing and violence.
3. A zine by Rachel Williams about the manifestations of police violence.

Finally, I want to say that everyone associated with this project volunteered their time and talents. This is significant because it underscores the commitment to social justice that they all have. It also shows that it is possible to do this work without the benefit of grants or funding. The truth is that I have and do rely on friends (old and new) to make projects like this happen. Local and national funders are not clamoring to support political education projects.

Please share these resources with others. Use them to foster discussions and to catalyze action in your own communities. I put this project together with the hope that it ultimately contributes to the making of a more just and less oppressive world. Please spread the word… You can find all of the resources here

The following is my list of everyone who I owe my undying appreciation to for their contributions to this project (in alphabetical order):

Madeleine Arenivar, Samuel Barnett, Micah Bazant, Martha Biondi, Antonia Clifford, Lisa Dadabo, Billy Dee, Lakeesha J. Harris, Julie Hilvers, Mariame Kaba, Eric Kerl, Megan Milks, Laura Mintz, Olivia Perlow, Emily Pineda, Mauricio Pineda, Caitlin Seidler, Gina Tarullo, Lewis Wallace, and Rachel Marie-Crane Williams.