The call for the abolishment of police, policing and the police state is not a new call. For centuries, Black and Indigenous people have called for the end of violence enacted on their bodies and communities by police. They have been calling for other possibilities that move us from the appearance of safety to truly safe and whole communities.

If you are interested in participating in the Wednesday Zoom study group, sponsored by University Mennonite Church, beginning on January 5, please provide your name and email address below. The curriculum is an initial guide for those who are desiring to begin or continue their reflection on what it means to engage the forces of state, their commitments to non-violence and how to act to end policing and police brutality. Although the curriculum is rooted in the Christian faith tradition, we are an open group and all are invited to participate.

You can view the full curriculum online at https://www.mennoniteusa.org/abolition-curriculum-intro/ and the schedule of meetings is below.

All meetings will be held on Zoom on nine consecutive Wednesdays from 7 to 8:15 pm EST.

January 5 – Individual and Community Safety
January 12 – The Purpose of Policing in the United States
January 19 – The History of Policing and Police
January 26 – Transformative Justice
February 2 – The Landscape of Policing – Incarceration and Bail
February 9 – The Landscape of Policing – Policing Our Children, SROs, School-to-Prison Pipeline
February 16 – The Landscape of Policing – Police and the Streets
February 23 – The Landscape of Policing – City Hall, Political Change and Revolution
March 2 – Review and Closing – 8 to Abolition and Next Steps

We'll send out the Zoom invite to everyone who registered a week prior to the start on January 5. Feel free to share this information with others.