Committed to divesting from police and reinvesting our tax dollars into programs that strengthen and uplift our community.
What can I do?
communitybeforecops.org/phone - join us for phone banking 5-7 pm Tuesday 1.12.21
Our Goals
CB4C recognizes the need for community wellness & reinvestment via divestment of public funds from (and collective emotional reliance on) policing and carceral punishment as the ongoing and overarching goal, the following objectives are our current focal points within our local landscape :
1. Supporting Public Investment in Community
Uniting cities and city officials to put real resources into community supports. For example, as advocated by #PausetheCalls in Seaside, develop a shared and cost-effective mobile crisis unit, free from police and carceral or punitive action. Workers trained to de-escalate crisis situations without weapons, assist our unhoused neighbors and under-resourced populations with care and essential support (food, shelter, warmth and wellness) and provide supplies for harm reduction (re: substance use)
2. Removing Cops from Schools
No more cops on campuses! Permanently eliminate School Resource Officer positions and support funding for trained, culturally competent crisis counselors and mental health resources. The change we wish to see transitions from punitive repercussions to restorative justice and growth/learning opportunities.
3. Firing the Worst Cops
Identifying the most corrupt officers within local police departments (ex. alt-right militia cop on PG force; officers with recurrent complaints wagered against them such as Seaside’s School Resource Officer [SRO]), increasing public and local leaders' awareness, and demanding these officers be fired immediately. Advocating to renegotiate Police Union contracts with stricter guidelines, transparency, community involvement, and eliminate excessive protections for officers despite misconduct
4. Educating About Policing Alternatives
Following the leadership of BIPOC along the Central Coast and beyond, engage the community in ongoing dialogue to develop and implement systems using public funds that eliminate Monterey County's reliance on police and the harmful, discriminatory criminal system. Educating and informing our communities and local officials about alternatives to policing and carceral punishment.
5. Winning Elections
Building local election literacy and information access by interviewing and reporting on candidates, ballot measures, propositions, etc. as well as registering voters, assisting in getting folks to the polls and ensuring all voices are heard. Supporting the leaders we need in positions of power to make structural change.
Platform
CB4C is a grassroots collective of community members along the Central Coast and within Monterey County that seeks to dismantle white supremacy and challenge systemic oppression in all of its intersections. Based on the multi-generational work of Black, Queer, radical activists and the current Black Lives Matter movement, we recognize that police and the criminal justice system are inherently racist, rooted in anti-Blackness, and promote weaponized violence as a response to people in crisis. The rallying cry to defund the police is truly an ask to reallocate tax dollars into programs that support and uphold tenants of public safety for all. By providing a baseline of care vis-a-vie shelter, mental health and wellness services, reliable food systems and opportunities for joy and recreation all while shifting how we respond to crisis, we can eliminate the desperation that often leads one to commit a criminal act.
CB4C seeks to collaborate with, uplift, and support other local organizers committed to this work. We aim to center and amplify the demands and actions of local BIPOC leaders and co-conspirators.
We seek to educate each other across Monterey County about issues in local politics and how we as individuals can enact change for a safer and stronger community together.
What do we do to achieve that?
Creating databases of local politicians and their stances on issues
Uplifting the voices of local grassroots organizations fighting for immediate change
Organizing conversations with leaders and those running for elected office
Increasing engagement with our local representatives and participation in local elections and decisions