What ‘Defund the Police’ Really Means

Do you broadly support the movement to divest from policing and invest in community-led safety but are missing the tools to talk about it with others? This training is an introduction to policing, why the call is to defund police and not reform, what ‘defund’ and ‘abolition’ really mean, and strategies for supporting real community safety. Participants will leave with information on how to talk with loved ones about policing and abolition, and how to get involved with this work.

Trainers:

Ya-Ping Douglass grew up in Greenfield, MA, and has been back in Western Massachusetts for the last 11 years. She is involved with organizing in Northampton, MA, to divest from policing and invest in community-led safety initiatives through Northampton Abolition Now.

Cherilyn Strader is a Northampton, MA-based organizer with a background in both electoral and community organizing, including recently organizing the youth vote for Senator Ed Markey’s 2020 re-election campaign. Cherilyn now organizes with Northampton Abolition Now in Western Massachusetts.