Since our inception in 2017, we at the Communities Transforming Policing Fund (CTPF) have had the honor of resourcing organizations led by and supporting Black, Latinx, Queer, Trans, working class, and poor communities. And these communities—which are most impacted by police violence and surveillance—have led the nation in asserting their right to safety, and to reimagine and redefine it on their own terms.
We have listened to our grantee partners voice their deep desire to see their communities invested in instead of harassed, surveilled, criminalized, and incarcerated. They have advocated for divestment from policing and have embraced and experimented with community-based safety strategies to keep themselves and their communities safe. They are skilling up safety teams, providing mutual aid, advocating for policies to decriminalize drugs, poverty, and sex work. Their vision for our collective future is clear and it does not include the harm, repression, and violence of carceral systems.
CTPF GRANTEE PARNTER, HIPS
As the movement to divest policing and invest in communities has grown, our fund’s practices and priorities have shifted. We understand our role in this work is supporting and following the leadership of those who are directly impacted and most engaged and politically aligned with work to strengthen, build, and progress collective care and safety.
Unfortunately, those organizers and communities are most vulnerable to political prosecution and repression in order to silence them and instill fear. How can these organizers sustain and grow their efforts if all of their energy and resources are spent in courtrooms and jails fighting heinous and unjust charges of civil conspiracy or domestic terrorism?
We recognize that just as our grantee partners and their communities are hard at work to prevent harm, violence, and injustice their opposition is hard at work as well. And their opposition is well-resourced and committed to maintaining the status quo of policing which has resulted in 2022 being the deadliest year on record for police violence.
It is impossible to end police violence without also defending those who are targeted for boldly and bravely combatting the policies and practices that have continued to result in the murders of Black and Brown people at the hands of the police. At the CTPF, we proudly and vehemently refuse to allow our grantmaking strategy to be shaped by police narratives of protesters—and instead stand by our grantee partners and seek to elevate their experiences of being targeted and assaulted by police forces while engaging in protests.
CTPF GRANTEE PARTNER, JUSTICE COMMITTEE IN NEW YORK CITY
To our grantee partners and others tirelessly working for safer communities where Black, Brown, and Trans people do not have to live in fear of death or incarceration at the hands of state: we are on your side. We believe in you, we will defend you, we see your work, and we see these attacks against you for what they are. We will continue to do everything in our power to help others within philanthropy recognize the importance of funding this work, and we hope others will too.