In the wake of George Floyd’s death, uprisings have erupted all across the country to protest America’s racist, brutal, lethal police forces.
Detroit has been no exception.
The DPD employs racist and brutal tactics against its own people, whether it be through a racist and grossly expensive surveillance system,
the unjust Green Light Project, or murdering Detroit citizens.
We, the Metro Detroit Democratic Socialists of America, have set demands for the City of Detroit and the DPD:
OUR DEMANDS
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Defund, demilitarize, and disarm the police.
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Prosecute killer cops.
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End Project Greenlight
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End the the DPD's use of the racist facial recognition system.
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Invest in housing, education, healthcare, and other social services.
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Stop DPD’s excessive use of force against political protesters.
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Release all political prisoners.
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Drop all charges against protesters.
On March 5, Mayor Duggan will present the Fiscal Year 2022 budget to City Council. It is set to include a $41 million funding increase to Detroit Police Department. There’s no doubt this comes at the expense of other crucial departments like Health, Housing, and Transportation. We are demanding that council defunds the police and invests in the the material conditions of Detroiters: by providing alternative crisis response teams like Oregon’s CAHOOTS model, affordable decent housing, public health clinics, mass public transit, green union jobs, and more.We need all hands on deck to pressure Detroit City Council to vote NO in April against any austerity budget that leaves too many low-income and working class Detroiters sick and stuck in the cold.
Another World is Possible
In our demands to defund, disarm, and demilitarize the police, we are not simply demanding an end to this growing, racist police-surveillance state. We are demanding the beginning of a new future, an alternative to the system so many of us have suffered under for so many years. We are demanding that the wealthiest among us no longer hoard enormous amounts of wealth and all the power that comes with it, while so many of us suffer from broken healthcare systems, lack of good paying and secure jobs, vicious and paranoid police forces, and endless wars that our comrades die in, being fought in the name of protection, security and patriotism but for the reality of land, oil, and political power.
We are demanding an end to our worldwide military occupations that do not protect us, we are demanding the end to the massive police-surveillance states that repress and kill us, we are demanding the funding.
We are demanding equality for the weakest, the disenfranchised, the most vulnerable among us, because every person deserves a life of dignity and security. We are demanding recognition and realization of our common humanity. We are demanding democratic socialism.
Few moments in our lifetimes have felt as intense and as uncertain as this one. And although we are suffering under the excesses of neoliberal capitalism, it is becoming more and clear that a new system is not only necessary for our global survival…it is possible and within our grasp.
Want to get involved?
Are you frustrated with the violence and police brutality you've seen for decades? Do you want to defund, demilitarize, and dismantle the police? Do you think we should reinvest that money back into our communities?
Then sign-up below to get involved in the BBA & Detroit DSA Defund the Police Campaign.
