A-Infos (en) Germany, die plattform: Review: protests against police build-up (ca, de, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

Two years ago, in spring 2021, a rally took place in the north of Dortmund. It 
was directed against the rearmament of the Dortmund police. Specifically, it was 
about equipping the police officers at the north station, which is notorious for 
racial profiling, with electric pulse weapons - so-called tasers. ---- At that 
time we took part in the meeting with a banner and gave a speech in which we 
denounced the racist violence of the police in Dortmund's poorest district, 
explained why crime does not fall from the sky and showed that instead of 
militarized districts there was self-organization in the neighborhood to create 
security. You can read our full speech here. Our conclusion at the time: "The 
upgrade of the police will hit the people hardest who are already affected by 
racist police controls on a daily basis."

These words leave a more than bitter aftertaste today. As was to be expected, the 
one-year trial was not the end of it. The tasers were finally transferred to the 
regular use of the Dortmund police.

Fatal Consequences

And they use the new potential for violence. Since the introduction of the Taser, 
they have been used again and again - often with fatal consequences. It mostly 
hit the homeless, drug users, people in exceptional mental situations, as well as 
black people and people of color. All those who are marginalized in this society 
anyway.

In October 2022, a homeless man died in Dorstfeld after the police used a Taser. 
On our website you will find our report on a small action that we carried out 
shortly afterwards at the scene of the crime to take a stand against police 
violence. Because this murder, like all the others before it, is just being 
clammy and secretly covered up. Justice is not to be expected.

A Taser was also used when the 16-year-old refugee Mouhamed was murdered by the 
police from the North Guard last summer. Here the police claimed he was used 
before the firearm. The investigation exposed this as a lie. Less than a second 
elapsed between the use of the taser and the first shot at a defenseless black 
youth. The introduction of the Taser cost lives immediately.

Increased awareness of police violence

The protest to stop them was largely limited to a small number of left-wing 
groups and was far too weak. To that end, some things have developed positively 
in the last two years. The work of the Justice 4 Mouhamed initiative in 
particular drew a lot of attention to the question of police violence and in some 
cases those affected were given a voice. Overall, there is a greater, more 
critical awareness of the everyday violence of the police in Dortmund.

In concrete terms, however, little has changed. Murdering police officers still 
mostly go unpunished. Racial profiling still takes place every day. And the taser 
armament in NRW is being expanded.

Our perspective

In our speech two years ago, we argued that only self-organization from below and 
mergers in neighborhood initiatives can solve the problems of a fourth and really 
make it a safe place. Because the police, as the armed arm of the state, has no 
solutions to offer other than more violence. And the state projects for the 
"management" of the district are primarily there to polish the image of the 
northern part of the city and make it more investor-friendly: gentrification and 
displacement of the poorest are the consequences.

Actual security arises where the state is pushed back and replaced by new, 
genuine and solidary relationships between people. Taking care of each other and 
supporting each other when needed. Building such a neighborhood is a long, rocky 
road. But there is no way around it. If we want a liberated society to be able to 
self-govern from below, then it needs germ forms of organization in companies and 
districts that can ultimately take over the fortunes of society. We are glad that 
there is now an initiative in Dortmund, Together Against Price Increases, which 
actually tries to take on and implement this difficult task with neighborhood 
meetings. Together with an independent observation of the police, such 
organizations can also be the basis for publicizing the arbitrariness and 
violence of the police and for resisting them.

So support initiatives like Justice 4 Mouhamed and the neighborhood organization 
of Together Against Price Increases.

For solidary organizing from below against poverty, isolation and police 
violence. For Fighting Neighborhoods!

https://ruhr.dieplattform.org/2023/02/25/rueckblick-proteste-gegen-aufruestung-der-polizei/
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