“Over the course of our long history, the Religious Society of Friends has had a complicated relationship with law enforcement,” Brian Blackmore observes, reminding us that early Quakers suffered incarceration, violence, and even martyrdom under governing authorities on both sides of the Atlantic.
That was then, though—today, it is far more likely that Black communities, and other communities of people of color, along with immigrants, LGBTQ+ communities, and poor and working class people will be the ones to experience violence at the hands of the police and the carceral state. “Our tradition is one that respects order and the law—when it is just,” Brian says. “But we cannot respect any attempt to enforce law and order which precipitates violence. We cannot… quietly stand by to witness our communities devolving into war zones.”
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Transcript:
How have Friends historically responded to police intervention in situations involving conflict? What is our responsibility as Friends today to ensure that police do not inflict harm on vulnerable communities? Is it always just to call 911? Even when we feel unsafe or concerned about the safety of others? Does the ultimately peace testimony compel us to Think Twice Before Calling the Police?
My name is Brian Blackmore. I am the Director of Quaker Engagement for the American Friends Service Committee, also known as AFSC, and a member of Gainesville Monthly Meeting in North Central Florida. I welcome He/Him/His pronouns or any pronouns used with respect.
Today, I am going to ask Friends to reflect on what they might do in a situation where, at least at first, it feels imperative to call the police. I want to name and honor that many Friends might have very different perceptions and experiences with law enforcement. Some of us may have had
experiences that were quite painful, irrepressibly traumatizing, leaving impressions on our minds and hearts that cannot be forgotten. Others of us might have had mostly positive experiences with police. Some of us may know police as our close friends, spouses, or family members.
Wherever you are coming from, I ask that you stay engaged with a spirit of openness and lean into any discomfort that may emerge in response to what I am about to share.
So, let’s get started. Try to imagine yourself in a situation where you are feeling the instinct to call the police. I want you to literally close your eyes, put yourself in a specific place in your mind’s eye, see your surroundings, and picture a situation where you might want to call 911.
The first step is to ask yourself some questions. Repeat after me: “I’ll Ask.” ASK yourself ifinvolving the police would help the problem in this situation or create more harm? Is the
situation an inconvenience, or something that merits involving lethally armed law enforcement? If just thinking through these questions has led you to conclude that contacting the police is not necessary, then great! More likely, however, just thinking that you might want to call the police probably means that there is a problem that you feel needs to be addressed. In that case . . .
Say, “I’ll ASSESS.” Assess whether you can resolve the situation by talking it through with the people involved and use verbal de-escalation if necessary. If that does not work, say
“I’ll ASSEMBLE.” Reach out to others in your community for support. Perhaps someone else is nearby. You could call a friend, send a message to a neighborhood group text or facebook page, or contact a local alternative to 911 police response, such as a hotline. If you still feel it is
imperative to call the police (you’ve answered the question “Is law enforcement necessary”
affirmatively, and you are certain that the situation cannot be resolved or de-escalated by your
own actions or by others within your immediate reach), call 911 after you have…
acknowledged, say “I’ll ACKNOWLEDGE.” This means acknowledging your personal identity and the identities of those around you, making sure that those most often targeted by police violence and criminalization, including Black, Indigenous, people of color, immigrants, youth, LGBTQ+, poor and working-class people, are not put in harm’s way. Try to anticipate if the
arrival of police might lead to the arrest of others. Alert everyone in the vicinity that law enforcement is being called in case they want to leave. Those least vulnerable to criminalization and violence, which might be you, should take responsibility for communicating with law
enforcement.
So repeat the tools for Thinking Twice Before Calling the Police with me:
I’ll ASK . . . are police going to help the situation or will they cause more harm?
I’ll ASSESS . . . whether there are alternatives to calling the police utilizing your own nonviolent strategies and/or…
I’ll ASSEMBLE . . . other individuals or resources that may be just as or more effective than law enforcement to bring the situation to a peaceful end. But if I still feel pressed to call the police,
I’ll ACKNOWLEDGE . . . my own identity and experience with police as well as interpret the relationship others at the scene might have with law enforcement. I’ll alert everyone that I’m calling the police and take responsibility for the arrival of the police on the scene.
You are now ready to use these tools in a challenging, maybe even frightening situation, but I guarantee they will help you to promote a more just and peaceful world. If you already feel ready to commit to them, I ask that you sign the AFSC pledge to demonstrate to others that Friends are equipped and ready to take away the occasion for violence, wherever found and however known.
Over the course of our long history, the Religious Society of Friends itself has had a complicated relationship with law enforcement. The first generation of Quakers were frequently arrested and thrown in jail for their beliefs and ways of worship. A whole system of support, called the Meeting for Sufferings, was established to care for Friends who found themselves in the grips of the magistrates, the law enforcement of their time. George Fox himself spent years of his life in a prison cell, many Friends during war time have been arrested and jailed for refusing military conscription, and some valiant Friends, such as Mary Dyer, paid the ultimate price for acting in defiance of the law. At the present time, however, we as a nation are not mourning the loss of Quaker lives at the hands of police officers, or speaking out against the mass incarceration of Friends, as Friends were and had to in the mid-17th century. Rather we find ourselves caught in a point in history when too many Black, Indigenous, people of color, immigrants, youth, LGBTQ+, poor or working-class people, some of them also being Friends mind you, have either experienced violence at the hands of the police or fear that they will soon be their next targets.
Our tradition is one that respects order, and the law when it is just. We respect the intentions and efforts of police to keep our communities safe but we cannot respect any attempt to enforce law and order which precipitates violence. We cannot respect, nor quietly stand by to witness our communities devolving into war zones. As Quakers, we claim a special historical connection to enacting peace in the face of state-sanctioned violence. In the words of George Fox: “All bloody principles and practices we do utterly deny, with all outward wars, and strife, and
fightings with outward weapons, for any end, or under any pretense whatsoever. And this is our
testimony to the whole world.”
So upon some of the most fundamental tenets of the Quaker faith, that there is that of God in
everyone and we seek to remove the occasion for all wars, I ask that you think twice before
calling the police and demonstrate your commitment to nonviolence by signing our pledge.
Thank you.
Discussion Question:
- What should we consider before calling 911?
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