For too long, the Philadelphia Police Department (PPD) has served as an occupying force meant to surveil, harass, displace, and incarcerate the Black and Latinx communities of Philadelphia. Instead of making our communities safer, the impact of PPD has left our communities grieving.
For too long, the PPD has negotiated for more resources and fewer disciplinary procedures, emboldening police officers to perpetuate violence in our communities and even within their ranks. The current FOP contract outlines forms of police violence that City leadership is willing to accept in the name of “public safety”. We say NO MORE!
As Mayor Kenney prepares to enter negotiations with the FOP again, we are demanding more transparency to the contract negotiations. We are also calling for major changes to the contract itself– increased transparency and discipline, along with a commitment to divestment and the end of using grievance arbitration.
Our ultimate goal is the abolition of police, prisons, and state surveillance; these demands are meant to reduce harm perpetrated by police and the FOP against Philadelphia’s Black and Brown communities. As we fight to defund and dismantle the PPD, we must create stronger processes for holding police accountable.