The RiseRepairRebuild group met at Chapeltown Cohousing (Chaco) to share their experiences of policing and strategies for managing future encounters, as well as imagining police-free solutions for dealing with instances of harm and threat.
Members voiced their concerns with West Yorkshire police presence in public and direct interactions, recalling anecdotes involving poor officer conduct and unnecessarily aggressive behaviour towards themselves and others, escalating instead of calming situations. They were also led through the steps of a police encounter and reminded of the rights that they are free to exercise when confronted by police officers (download our SEARCH card below).
Longer term solutions to the overpolicing of marginalised Leeds communities include having greater access to legal information and education; setting up trusted community spaces where people can receive such advice; creating or using local police scrutiny panels to closely monitor police behaviour during stops; filing complaints wherever possible to build a base of evidence in policing behaviour that can force a response; and in the moment, being sure to politely but firmly remind officers of their duties to following their own procedure properly (including GOWISELY).
