Cop Watching

The accountability in the police force is greatly lacking, as we've seen man people of color, women, kids and those with mental illness shot down by the police while unarmed, yet those officers face non-indictment. There is no sense of value for these people's lives, which lead to the still spreading hashtag #BlackLivesMatter that should be thought rhetoric, but unfortunately must be said to resonnate. Sometimes it's stated and still undermined; so there is a lot of work to be done in the regards to validation of life within the justice system, specifically those of POC. A tactic that unofficially started after the filming of Rodney King being beaten by several police officers, got the terminology "cop watch" recently. This practice of recording the officers while wrongfully dealing with a person they've stopped, allows for a third side to the story, the truth. So many times officers lie about their happenings with a stopped person and are not doubted. With footage of them violating the person's rights, a new door is opened for reasons to add more accountability to those in the force.

Rodney King's story is notorious: a black male pulled over by the cops and severely beaten. Luckily there was a person filming the incident, so there was solid proof that the officers acted out of their duties and were dealt with accordingly. In this age of technology, not only can we monitor the cops while their dealing with community members, but we can also spread that video to millions within seconds. The internet is the new back up.

A few weekends ago I went to a Cop Watch training in Far Rockaway. Although I missed the training, I made it in time to get a packet that outlined how to do this effective practice. Here are a few crucial things to remember when cop watching:

• Communicate with the person being stopped/arrested by the police. Make sure you try to get a number from them and let them know you're filming,
• Don't let the cop make you feel like you're not allowed to be there or film. It is within your rights
• If things get intense back away but don't leave or stop filming
• Once you catch everything make sure you send it to the proper place anonymously. People who cop watch do in fact become targets of the police in several cases i.e. Ramsey Ota. He filmed the death of Eric Garner and now faces bogus gun charges.

Cop watching can become a regular process for communities where the people are dehumanized by oppressive police forces. We can do it so often they will start to feel the fear they claim they have against us. It is tiring seeing cops get away with wrongful acts against people and we can tactfully put an end to their corruption. If the government won't handle the situation then the people will!