Why we support it, and what you can do
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Dear John,

At this critical moment, we are following the lead of black-led organizations at
the forefront of this struggle. We are signing on in support of the broad movement under the banner of “Defund
the Police.”

On Tuesday night, CCAN Board of Directors voted unanimously in favor of a
resolution to support this movement. Click HERE to see the resolution.
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In practical terms, here’s what that means for us at CCAN:

* We will support efforts spearheaded by Black-led organizations to pressure
our legislators to meaningfully divest from police programs that directly or
indirectly give rise to brutality, and invest in public services and other
public safety measures that don’t involve police force or incarceration. This
means weighing in on state and local budget hearings and encouraging all of
our supporters to do the same. More on that below.
* We pledge to not pay for police services at CCAN events — like protests and
conferences — unless absolutely necessary. Often, police departments require
activists to pay for police presence at public marches and rallies. Our
refusal to pay such fees will force us to make sure we’re asking the right
questions up front and will help us to choose venues and vendors that share
our values. We expect to formalize this new policy in the coming weeks.
* We will connect our supporters with anti-racism trainings and resources and
maximize trainings for staff to ensure that racial justice is a centerpiece
of our climate campaigns.
* We will invest in voter education campaigns to help protect vulnerable
communities from voter suppression efforts — and encourage all voters to
support leaders who advocate for meaningfully divesting from police to better
fund social programs instead.

You may be wondering, what do we mean by “Defund the Police?” It doesn’t mean
getting rid of all police overnight — or necessarily ever — and it won’t mean
the same thing in every city, town, or locality. It means redistributing the
hundreds of millions of dollars we spend on policing back into essential public
services that have been gutted over the last few decades as police budgets
ballooned. It means mental health professionals answering calls about mental
health crises, and addiction experts answering calls about opioid abuse, instead
of armed officers. It means tackling our social problems with tools that could
help solve them rather than resorting to violence and criminalization, a system
that was borne out of racism and has intentionally disrupted and devastated
Black, Brown, Indigenous and poor communities since its inception centuries ago.

This effort draws parallels to the fossil fuel divestment campaign as well.
We’re not proposing eliminating all forms of energy, just the dirty ones; we
still need to keep the lights on and the internet flowing, now more than ever in
the era of coronavirus. Similarly, we still need systems to keep our communities
safe. We’re just opening our minds to what those systems look like. And we’re
taking our cues from the groups, communities, and thought-leaders most impacted
by the current broken system.

If you’re still wondering, click HERE to watch a video with CCAN Board Members Terence Ellen and Reverend
Lennox Yearwood Jr. discussing what “Defund the Police” means for CCAN and why
it’s important for climate activists to support it.
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Now let’s get to the action.

Right now, the DC Council is holding hearings and accepting testimony on its
draft budget. DC Mayor Muriel Bowser proposed a budget that would DECREASE
funding for most social programs like the Office of Neighborhood and Safety,
while INCREASING the Metropolitan Police Department budget by nearly $20 million — and also funding for a brand new $500-million jail.

Click HERE to learn how to submit testimony to oppose this unjust allocation of
fundings. Submit your testimony by June 16!
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Or, simply sign this petition to Mayor Bowser and the DC Council.
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Here at CCAN, we know that the fight for climate justice and racial justice are
one in the same. People of color disproportionately bear the impacts of climate
change, from extreme storms to flooding from sea level rise to heat waves to air
pollution. It’s also no coincidence that fossil-fueled power plants and
refineries are disproportionately located in black neighborhoods, leading to
poor air quality and putting people at higher risk for coronavirus. The forces
behind the climate crisis are the same forces behind racial inequality. As Eric
Holthaus put it,
[[link removed]] climate change is “what happens when the lives of marginalised people and
non-human species are viewed as expendable.” We have to work together for permanent and durable solutions that protect every
single person of every single race — particularly the most vulnerable — now and
in the future.

That’s why we will continue to shine light on police brutality and work for
solutions everywhere to this ongoing tragedy. And we ask you to do the same.
Please do what you can to use your voice to demand justice.

Take action in DC to Defund the Police. Click HERE to learn how to submit
testimony, and submit it by June 16!
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Or, simply sign this petition to Mayor Bowser and the DC Council.
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The fight for justice becomes more crucial every day. We’re glad to be fighting
with you.

In solidarity,

The entire team at the Chesapeake Climate Action Network and CCAN Action Fund

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Further reading:

* Demilitarizing the U.S. Police Force: A Resolution Adopted by the Board of
Directors of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network
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* "Defund the police’ is a call to imagine a safer America. We should answer
it."
[[link removed]] - Washinton Post Editorial Board
* "Climate Activists: Here’s Why Your Work Depends on Ending Police Violence"
[[link removed]] - Dany Sigwalt
* "I’m a black climate expert. Racism derails our efforts to save the planet"
[[link removed]] - Ayana Elizabeth Johnson
* "The climate crisis is racist. The answer is anti-racism"
[[link removed]] - Eric Holthaus
* "Six Ideas for a Cop-Free World"
[[link removed]] - Jose Martin
* "These posters can help you picture alternatives to policing"
[[link removed]] - Kristin Toussaint
* “Racism is Killing the Planet"
[[link removed]] - Hop Hopkins
* “Caring About the Climate Crisis Means Supporting the Demand to Defund the
Police”
[[link removed]] - Alec Cannon of the Stop the Money Pipeline coalition
* “Why Every Environmentalist Should Be Anti-Racist”
[[link removed]] - Leah Thomas
* "Growing the LAPD was gospel at City Hall. George Floyd changed that"
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* "A Practical Guide to Defunding the Police"
[[link removed]] - Tessa Stuart
* "Making a Planet Worth Saving"
[[link removed]] - Bill McKibben and Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr.

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