AFSCME 3299 Resolution on Police and University Policing

Whereas, the institution of policing in the United States of America began as a means of regulating enslaved peoples and protecting capital, and as such was founded on an
inherently anti-Black culture that values property over humanity, and;

Whereas, the U.S’s early police forces were armed groups of white men given authority to kill, and most recent police activity has shown continued familiarity and amicable relationship with white supremacist militias, and;

Whereas, the most marginalized members of our communities i.e Black and Latinx,
transgender, undocumented, neurodiverse etc are disporportionately impacted by state violence and;

Whereas, the recent killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Steven Taylor, Dijon Kizzie and far too many others have resulted in little to no accountability to the communities harmed, few arrests for the murder of unarmed people, widespread unrest and ongoing police violence at the very actions calling for justice; efforts to change police culture and implement practices of reform have so far failed, and;

Whereas, no mayor, no police chief, no training or recruitment programs have been able to change police culture, prevent pervasive racial profiling or initiate systemic change so that Black, Latinx, economically disenfranchised, neurodiverse or other communities continue to live in fear and are unable to fully participate in society, and;

Whereas, police associations have inserted themselves into the political process and
continue to have undue influence on policies that affect the whole community and foster distrust in our institutions, including law enforcement, and;

Whereas, at the University of California Black and Latinx workers have reported countless confrontations with UCPD, while in and out of uniform, and have had their presence in the campus community questioned, and;

Whereas, AFSCME 3299 members have been assaulted by UCPD during strikes & actions and have been arrested upon calling for help, and Black students have been assaulted and arrested on campus while trying to get to their dorms at night, and youth have been assaulted while in University housing intended to protect them;

Therefore Be It Resolved that AFSCME 3299 calls for the dismantlement and dissolution of the University of California Police Department, and an end to all University contracts with local police agencies.

Be it further resolved, that AFSCME 3299 calls for the University of California to then
(re)invest in campus safety practices and community resources determined by campus community stakeholders, i.e students, workers, faculty.

Be it further resolved, that AFSCME 3299 calls for cities in California to revisit their
budgets, defunding inflated police budgets and committing to (re)investing in community practices and programs that promote collective wellness, reimagine community safety, and uplift restorative justice.

Be it further resolved that AFSCME 3299 calls on all law enforcement agencies in California to end the criminalization and dehumanization of Black youth across all areas of society, including, but not limited to our nation’s justice and education systems, social service agencies, media and pop culture. This includes an end to zero-tolerance school policies and arrests of students, the removal of police from schools, and the reallocation of funds from police and punitive school discipline practices to restorative services.

Be it further resolved that AFSCME 3299 calls for an end to the war on immigrants by
calling for the repeal of the 1996 crime and immigration bills, an end to all deportations, immigrant detention, and Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) raids, and for mandated legal representation in immigration court.

Submitted by

Michael Avant,
AFSCME 3299 Vice-President and Racial Justice Committee
Chair