MXGM Self-Defence Manual

OPD accountable by instituting a Community Control Board that has the power and
authority to hire, fire, subpoena, monitor, approve and disapprove budgets and policies.
Advantages of a Referendum:
This proposal for a Referendum Campaign is designed to complement other aspects of a
comprehensive plan for community self defense. It is part of a mass campaign to force
the government to respond to the National Plan for Racial Justice that communities are
developing. Locally, we view the Referendum for Community Control of OPD as one
part of a comprehensive strategy to resist police occupation of our communities. The
same strategy includes community self-defense defense networks, an Oakland Copwatch
and Peoples’ Assemblies.
• We recognize that the rules of the electoral process are stacked in favor of the
white supremacist ruling corporate/military elite. This is overwhelmingly true at
the national and state levels. However, at the local level, a grassroots electoral
initiative is less likely to be drowned in a sea of corporate money.
• Building a campaign for a referendum on a specific proposal is different from
working for a political candidate. Our referendum is framed to meet the specific
purpose of educating the community and demonstrating a way to institutionalize
an end to the military occupation of our communities. The wording of the
referendum is not open to being watered-down during the course of the campaign
in the way that a candidate makes deals to win votes.
• The campaign to pass the referendum is a needed vehicle to counter fear-based
solutions that, in the past, have been supported by well-meaning community
members. Currently, while many in the community may hold vague anti-police
attitudes, they passively support police atrocities as a “necessary evil”. The
referendum campaign will give us the opportunity to systematically educate and
demonstrate that the OPD currently promotes violence.
• The Referendum Campaign will provide a specific, concrete vision of an
alternative to the OPD waging war in our communities.
• The Referendum Campaign will require that campaign workers do massive and
systematic outreach through door-to-door precinct walking, outreach tables at
super-markets, malls and other spaces where people gather, speakers’ bureaus to
send people to churches, cultural and performance venues. Etc.
• The Referendum Campaign will build the movement for community self defense
by involving new members and gaining generalized support from the community.
Draft Referendum Proposal:
Whereas:
Insert stats on $$ spent on police, their hardware, surveillance, incarceration etc and
stats that show violence how police don’t help violence—(compare # of police per
Referendum on Community Control of OPD (First Draft of Proposal for limited discussion only 9/12/12) 2 of 4