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POLICE VIOLENCE & DOMESTIC VIOLENCEOften when we think of law enforcement and violenceWhen those who are supposed toagainst women of color and trans people of color, we’reprotect us harm us… it’ s time toeither talking about training officers to “better” respond torethink our strategy aroundgender-based violence, or we’re talking about the highdomestic violence and sexualincidence of male police officers who commit domesticviolence. 1 assault…What is less frequently discussed is the fact that inan alarming number of cases, law enforcement officers alsocommit violence against the very people they are supposed to be protecting. LAW ENFORCEMENT-BASED RESPONSES TO VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMENWhile mainstream anti-sexual/domestic violence movements have been critical in breaking the silence aroundviolence against women, and providing critically needed services to survivors of sexual/domestic violence, theiralmost exclusive reliance on law-enforcement based responses and criminal legal approaches to violence againstwomen - such as mandatory arrest policies, “no-drop” prosecution policies, and enhanced access to and enforcementof civil and criminal orders of protection — has proven inadequate to address gender-based violence in general, andparticularly violence against women of color.A twenty-year study of 48 citiesfound that greater access to criminallegal remedies for survivors ofdomestic violence led to fewer menbeing killed by their wives, as womenwho might otherwise have killed toescape violence were offeredalternatives. However women receivinglegal support were no less likely to bekilled by their intimate partners, andwere exposed to additional retaliatoryviolence. 2Despite an exponential increase in the number of men inprisons, women are not any safer -- national rates of sexualassault and domestic violence have not decreasedsignificantly. 3 According to the U.S. Department of Justice,“[i]ntimate partner violence is pervasive in U.S. society...approximately 4.9 million intimate partner rapes and physicalassaults are perpetrated against U.S. women annually...” 4One in 5 women, and 1 in 3 Native women living in the UnitedStates will be raped in their lifetime. 5 These profoundlydisturbing official statistics don’t even provide the fullpicture of violence against women: for instance, reportingrates for rape and sexual assault continueto hover around 30%. 6Additionally, the use of violence against women to advance “law and order” agendas and to justify the direction ofincreased resources to law enforcement has had the effect of strengthening, rather than opposing state violenceexperienced by women of color and trans people of color, thus increasing our vulnerability to law enforcementviolence.“ [A]s a woman of color and a lesbian,I really don’ t want to take this tothe police if I can handle it myself.” 7Please visit www.incite-national.org for more info! P. 37