Citizens in Stockton, California have taken a new approach to activism.
Rather than sticking to the traditional form of protest in which signs are held and slogans are chanted, these citizens have taken direct action and offered a grassroots, crowd-funded incentive structure to end police brutality in their community.
They have offered a $2,500 reward to anybody who submits information leading to the arrest or termination of cops who brutalize or kill people.
They were able to let people know about the offer by printing all the details on flyers and spreading them throughout their community.
The flyer specifically names 15 cops as a start, and includes pictures of at least 10 cops who have been involved in either the brutalization or killing of Americans.
The words “Know Your Killer Cops” are printed on the flyers, along with instructions to film any police brutality and a location where the footage can be submitted.
“Stockton police have been getting away with terrorizing our citizens for far too long,” the flyer says.
“It is time to take back our streets.”
There is also a Stockton Police Department Corruption Reporting page on facebook where citizens can submit the footage.
The flyers were given out at the local courthouse and seem to have motivated citizens even more to start scrutinizing the actions of police.
With a $2,500 reward and with so many Americans unemployed, it is not hard to imagine many spending all day in the streets monitoring cops and starting their own patrols to earn the money.
One wonders what would happen if such a reward system was increased, offered nationwide, crowd-funded online, or funded by wealthy anti-authoritarians.
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