Anti Police Terror Project Sacramento Organizer Jamier Sale Joins CapRadio
Anti Police Terror Project Sacramento organizer Jamier Sale joined CapRadio to discuss the protests over the murder of George Floyd and what the movement is fighting for.
Brooks points to the APTP’s MH First program, which provides police-free emergency support services via phone from Friday through Sunday.
The program is designed to respond to psychiatric emergencies, substance use crisis, and domestic violence safety planning without involving police.
Jail Support
Jail support is a long-standing practice of social movements that ensures that people who are arrested for participating in demonstrations have comrades outside the courthouse to meet them with food, document injuries, and drive them home when they are released. It defuses state efforts to isolate activists, amplifies the message of their arrest, and shows that even if they are sent away to jail, the movement will continue.
Lawson has watched the number of New York City participants in jail support rise as protests have sprung up around the country. The group communicates with each other via a shared chat on Signal, an encrypted messaging app that’s easy to use on most devices. They update each other regularly by texting “Hello” to a dedicated jail support channel and then sending their location (the group uses different sites around the city). They also share updates and resources on their Facebook page and Twitter account. Many of them are homeless and have been sleeping at their sites or relying on locals for hospitality.
Healing Justice
The Healing Justice movement is a framework that acknowledges the impact of systemic oppression and provides pathways to collective healing. It’s rooted in Black feminism, anti-capitalism, and abolition and focuses on healing historic/generational trauma while naming the impact of ongoing oppressive forces like police, health care, education, and more.
APTP’s Sacramento Healing Justice committee provides families impacted by police terror with healing baskets, including self care items to remind them that they are not alone and that the community supports them. In addition, they help with legal referrals and connect impacted families with other resources to support them in their journey toward justice.
APTP is hosting a series of workshops, teachings and healing circles in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day as part of its Reclaim MLK Radical Legacy Weekend. You can join them for a webinar on Saturday or at the People’s House in Oakland. More information is available here.
Volunteer Opportunities
After the murder of Miles Hall, Tauna Jones and many others, anti police terror project organizer Cat Brooks says she knew it was time to take action. She and other activists are now calling on Sacramento City Council to adopt a model for crisis response that will divert nonviolent calls away from police officers.
In January, APTP launched MH First in Sacramento, a community-based program that provides police-free emergency support for people experiencing a mental health crisis. Three nights a week, a team of volunteers is available to answer calls or texts using a different phone number from 911 and provide peer support, medical advice, safety planning and more.
APTP is a Black-led, multiracial, intergenerational coalition seeking to build a replicable and sustainable model to eradicate police terror in communities of color. Among other things, they support families who survive police terror in their fight for justice by documenting police abuses and connecting impacted family members and community with resources, legal referrals, and opportunities for healing.