PT Police Reform Campaign

[Jack Range]

Here is a copy of an e-mail that I just sent to the Rhody-Rev e-mail! Shoot me a line if any of this sounds up your alley!
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Hello Revolutionaries,

I'm writing to see if you folks would be interested in working with me on a PT police reform campaign. So far I have about 100 bumper stickers that say "Come on Vacation Leave on Probation - Port Townsend, WA". The goal of the sticker is to give voice to the large number of Port Townsenders that are frustrated with the aggressive posture of the PT police and the over-extension of our criminal justice system into the lives of ordinary teenagers, young adults, and almost everybody else. You can't enter or leave town without seeing someone pulled over by either the border patrol, county police, city police, or state troopers. If you are young you are disproportionately likely to be searched for drugs, a procedure which lands many good people in the quasi "rehabilitative" criminal justice system. The same goes for just about any high school student. What's up with police recently giving out 14+ MIP's at one party? What ever happened to returning kids to their parents without the whole delivering them to the mercy of the courts bit? Our public defenders are so overbooked that they are refusing to take on more cases. I think that a vast majority of our community is pretty upset about the reckless and harmful behavior of our own police and will agree that it's time to act.

This won't be a police bashing campaign however. The goal is actually pro-police. By actively engaging with the proper channels to reform police behavior and standards, we recreate bonds between PT residents and what is now an completely alienated police force.

I thought that you Rhody Revolution folks would be a perfect group to work with due to your willingness for social engagement to make this community more friendly for young people.

So what can we do?
1. Drum up support with the bumper sticker. Get people talking/arguing. I am planning on printing more once I get 75 cent returns from the ones that I have already printed. (They are going like hot cakes!)
2. Get a core group of young folks to work with city officials, the police, and community representatives to develop an alternative to current policing procedures. i.e. "harm reduction" Think of the Seattle law that makes marijuana possession the lowest priority. Also prosecution reform would be a big hurdle as well. The list goes on of course..... (I'm trying to come up with a flyer that I can hand out with the b-stickers listing harm reduction/police reform ideas and statistics)

So what do you folks think? Want to discuss this over a beer sometime?

-j

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My e-mail is [e-mail]

[Jack Range]

anyone know of a good place to sell the stickers?

[Frank]

It could be interpreted as anti-tourism so it may be difficult to get the down town retailers to sell them. Locals hangouts would "get it" and start the conversation. Online and in the leader might be a good place to start.