The non-indictment of Daniel Pantaleo, the New York Police Department officer accused in the death of Eric Garner, came just two days after President Barack Obama announced his support for body cameras to address police violence.
The fact Garner’s death was filmed raises justifiable criticisms over the proposed cameras’ potential effectiveness. At the same time, large national protests were due in part to the horror of witnessing Garner’s death on instant video replay. The non-indictment of Pantaleo demonstrates that systemic disregard for black life cannot be solved by police officers wearing cameras.
We Charge Genocide was formed to center the voices and experiences of black and brown youth disproportionately and violently targeted by the Chicago Police Department. Part of our efforts to uplift and support young people’s experiences and voices is training Chicagoans to “copwatch,” or film the police. In the face of rampant police abuse, watching the cops shifts power dynamics so police are no longer able to act with impunity.
As part of a larger organized effort to combat police violence, copwatching can be a tool for communities challenging police violence and racial profiling. For example, videos recording abusive behavior during police stops in New York City have been effective in shifting public consciousness when combined with broader organizing against Stop and Frisk.
Thus, while we support recording the police, We Charge Genocide recognizes it is fundamental that civilians be the ones holding the cameras. Video documentation can support the stories of those targeted by the police, perspectives often ignored by mainstream media and discounted in courts. When police control the cameras, those cameras serve as a tool for police violence.
It is clear that an increasing number of police departments have come to the conclusion that body cameras will support police narratives rather than challenge them. We are also concerned by accounts that such cameras will “malfunction” or simply be turned off during critical moments. Finally, we believe turning the cops into walking cameras is nothing but an expansion of the surveillance state, the fruit of a poisonous tree.
We Charge Genocide vehemently rejects any suggestion that victims of police violence who committed or were suspected of committing crimes deserved their treatment. Instead, we demand the valuing of all black lives, and challenge others to re-evaluate the impact of hypercriminalization on communities constantly patrolled by police.
Finally, We Charge Genocide believes the current calls for body cameras rely on an uncritical view of policing, one in which police need only be reformed to become safe for our communities. On the contrary, policing is an inherently violent and racist institution. Accordingly, we oppose all reforms that give additional resources to police departments.
To this end, We Charge Genocide will continue to work for initiatives that serve our communities, including reparations for victims of police torture, civilian police accountability projects, and initiatives for data transparency in police activities.
Any viable resolution to the issue of police violence must involve creative solutions, defunding our militarized police departments, and investment in community services. We ask that you join with members of your community to reject body cameras as a band-aid solution in the struggle against police violence and instead seek holistic, transformative solutions to community needs.
