Copwatch/Know Your Rights/ Security Culture Master Post

*Cover and back cover of old Richmond Copwatch Zine – Note we do not have regular meetings any longer*

There has been a recent reinterest in Copwatch in Richmond, and to help anyone interested in copwatching or knowing their rights or keeping good security culture, especially given the recent organizing around the murder of Mike Brown in Ferguson, we are collecting as many links and zines and pamphlets on these topics so they can be shared far and wide and anyone can access them.  Richmond Copwatch was starting in the summer of 2010 by members at the time of the Wingnut Anarchist Collective. Over the years multiple Know Your Rights and similar workshops were facilitated. And while the structured organization and routine patrols have fallen by the wayside, copwatching has remained a decentralized important aspect of radical and anarchist movements in Richmond.

There has also been discussion of how Copwatching is an activity that white people can do as allies, and this aspect ought to be discussed further.  Pretty much every time there is a big movement with many new members, it is important to make sure some of the basic safety information gets made available to new activists. Sorry for not having thought of this before now regarding the Ferguson protests.

For Richmonders, you can tweet to @rvacopwatch on twitter, or find the facebook group RVA Copwatch here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/157292621073163/ to get connected to other copwatchers and to share videos and information you find or to promote events and workshops about copwatching and know your rights trainings.

Copwatch Zines/Info

Richmond Copwatch

Copwatch 101

These Streets Are Watching – Copwatch Documentary

Alternatives to Police

Copwatching Poster

Copblock Website

Know Your Rights Zines/Info

Know Your Rights Trainer Materials

Know Your Rights! What You Need to Know

Know Your Rights Posters and Pamphlets

Know Your Rights Comix

Grand Jury Investigations, FBI Harassment, and Your Rights

Flex Your Rights

Don’t Talk to Police

Colorado ACLU Know Your Rights Training

NLG Know Your Rights

Security Culture Zines/Info

What is Security Culture? A guide to staying safe

Security Culture: a handbook

Security Culture: An interactive sock puppet farce

Stay Calm: Some tips for staying safe during times of state repression

Why Misogynists Make Great Informants

Towards a Collective Security Culture

Legal

Anarchist Survival Guide for Understanding Gestapo Swine Interrogation Mind Games

Legal Observer Guide

Medical

An Activist’s Guide to Basic First Aid

Direct Action Survival Guide

Updated Wingnut Summer Events Flier!

Wingnut Summer Events Flier and recent pictures!

More pictures after this…

Recent Police Brutality in Richmond

The Richmond Police Department, like most police departments, routinely breaks the law, behaves in racist ways, and engages in acts of brutality against the public.

In the past week we have seen or heard of 3 incidents of police brutality. Anyone with video footage of police brutality is highly encouraged to email us a copy or a link at wingnut_collective@yahoo.com

Anyone who wants tips on how to copwatch or on your rights when dealing with the police is also encouraged to get in touch. The Wingnut Anarchist Collective started Richmond Copwatch about 3 years ago. We no longer have a formal Copwatch organization (though if you are interested let us know), but we still have the capacity to host workshops, come to you and your organization with a workshop, and of course to observe and record the police in Richmond and every where we go.

Here is a link to a story about an incident that occurred in Gilpin Court, a nearby neighborhood: http://www.nbc12.com/story/21997791/richmond-community-claims-excessive-police-force-during-arrest

We have also heard that a man in Southern Barton Heights was beaten up by the police this week, and some of us were a witness to a man getting tazed at Harrison and Grace St. on Saturday night.

If you have video or pictures of the police tazing, beating, harassing, stop and frisking, etc. please send it to us! The more people who watch and record the police on a regular basis the less bullshit they can get away with. These are our neighborhoods, let’s take them back from the biggest most violent gang in Richmond- the Police Department.

SPARC and the Wingnut Present: Know Your Rights

We will also be having a How To Copwatch Training on Thursday April 4th at 7pm, and we highly recommend that folks do the Know Your Rights Training as a prerequisite.

Save The Date – Know Your Rights Training on Thursday March 7th at 7pm

Mark your calendars for Thursday March 7th at 7pm for a Know Your Rights (When Dealing with the Police) training at the Wingnut Anarchist Collective.

2005 Barton Avenue RVA
sober, all ages

www.wingnutrva.org for info on accessibility, bus routes, consent, etc.

Please spread widely.

More details closer to the date.

Know Your Rights Training at 7 on August 7th at Barton Heights National Night Out!

Tuesday, August 7th is National Night Out.

Barton Heights, and our newly re-forming neighborhood association will be celebrating in Yancey Street Park (At intersection of North Avenue and Poe Street). We will start at 6:30 and go til dark!

There will be food to grill (vegan, vegetarian, halal options) and anyone who wants to can bring a dish to share!

There will be local organizations tabling, entertainment in the form of a DJ and/or movie, a Know Your Rights training, and a Really Really Free Market (free clothes, books, cds, etc. anyone is welcome to bring items to give away).

More details coming as we work them out. Please save the date and plan on attending! email wingnut_collective@yahoo.com if you have questions/concerns/want to help!

And also- don’t forget that the next Barton Heights Neighborhood Association meeting will be on Tuesday, Sept. 11th at 6pm. Tell your neighbors, and let’s get the community out to talk about how to make Barton Heights a better place for us all!

Know Your Rights Training

This workshop will help participants learn the basics of asserting their rights when dealing with the police. We highly recommend this workshop for EVERYONE. But especially anyone who engages in… any level of political protest or demonstrations.This workshop consists of skits that are performed by Copwatch members and then edited by participants from the audience. We encourage participation, questions, and dialogue around the topics covered in the skit. We are not lawyers, but we are able to provide useful information about a lot of legal questions.

For more information about this workshop or SBH Copwatch or if you are interested in having us come to your organization with a workshop  you can call 804 303 5449 or email sbhcopwatch@gmail.com

SBH Copwatch is a non-hierarchical organization dedicated to ending police abuse. We believe that monitoring and recording police interactions with community members is a vital first step towards ensuring accountability and protecting ourselves and our communities. We are committed to anti-authoritarian principles and seek to transform the nature of the police and explore alternative methods of community conflict resolution.

February Copwatch Meeting- Tuesday the 28th at 7pm

The February Copwatch meeting will be held on Tuesday the 28th at 7pm at the Wingnut, 2005 Barton Avenue.

We will be discussing goals, strategy, copwatch protocol, and organizational structure for a city-wide Copwatch network.

Other agenda items may include:

fundraising, First Friday Patrols, Shockoe Bottom Patrols, How to Copwatch a Protest trainings, How to Copwatch trainings, Know Your Rights trainings, etc.

Come find out how you can start a branch of copwatch in your own neighborhood!

…Anyone with an interest in monitoring the police and holding them accountable for their actions is welcome to come. Bring yourself, your friends, and lots of ideas!

Have you ever felt like your rights were violated by the police? Have you ever seen bad behavior from the police? Want to find ways to build stronger communities that are protected from the police? Check out Richmond Copwatch!

Richmond Copwatch is a non-hierarchical organization dedicated to ending police abuse. We believe that monitoring and recording police interactions with community members is a vital first step towards ensuring accountability and protecting ourselves and our communities. We are committed to anti-authoritarian principles and seek to transform the nature of the police and explore alternative methods of community conflict resolution.

Come out to a Richmond Copwatch Meeting, on the 4th Tuesday of every month at 7pm at the Wingnut Anarchist Collective, 2005 Barton Avenue.
Email sbhcopwatch@gmail.com or call 804 303 5449 for more info. Details about our workshops, patrols, and special events can be found online at www.wingnutrva.org

You can email the Southern Barton Heights branch of Richmond Copwatch at sbhcopwatch@gmail.com

Know Your Rights Workshop at University of Richmond- Feb. 16

The Student Alliance for Sexual Diversity is hosting a Know Your Rights Workshop by Southern Barton Heights Copwatch on Thursday February 16th at 7pm. This will be taking place in room THC 327 on the main U of R Campus in Richmond’s West End.

Join SBH (Southern Barton Heights) Copwatch for a Know Your Rights Workshop

This workshop will help participants learn the basics of asserting their rights when dealing with the police. We highly recommend this workshop for EVERYONE. But especially anyone who engages in… any level of political protest or demonstrations.This workshop consists of skits that are performed by Copwatch members and then edited by participants from the audience. We encourage participation, questions, and dialogue around the topics covered in the skit. We are not lawyers, but we are able to provide useful information about a lot of legal questions.

For more information about this workshop or SBH Copwatch or if you are interested in having us come to your organization with a workshop  you can call 804 303 5449 or email sbhcopwatch@gmail.com

SBH Copwatch is a non-hierarchical organization dedicated to ending police abuse. We believe that monitoring and recording police interactions with community members is a vital first step towards ensuring accountability and protecting ourselves and our communities. We are committed to anti-authoritarian principles and seek to transform the nature of the police and explore alternative methods of community conflict resolution.

Know Your Rights Workshop at the Flying Brick Library 11/21

Join Richmond Copwatch for a Know Your Rights Workshop at 7pm on Monday November 21st at the Flying Brick Library!
This workshop will help participants learn the basics of asserting their rights when dealing with the police. We highly recommend this workshop for EVERYONE. But especially anyone who engages in any level of political protest or demonstrations.This workshop consists of skits that are performed by Copwatch members and then edited by participants from the audience. We encourage participation, questions, and dialogue around the topics covered in the skit. We are not lawyers, but we are able to provide useful information about a lot of legal questions.

For more information about this workshop or Richmond Copwatch you can call 804 303 5449 or email sbhcopwatch@gmail.com
Richmond Copwatch is a non-hierarchical organization dedicated to ending police abuse. We believe that monitoring and recording police interactions with community members is a vital first step towards ensuring accountability and protecting ourselves and our communities. We are committed to anti-authoritarian principles and seek to transform the nature of the police and explore alternative methods of community conflict resolution.

The Flying Brick Library is located at 506 S. Pine Street in Oregon Hill. They host sober events.