How would you feel if your college campus administration allowed for a community council to oversee the people in charge of keeping you safe? This is what is happening at the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities.
Two student groups, the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar and the University of Minnesota’s Students for a Democratic Society, are actively advocating for “community control” of the police. Their idea of “community control” stems from the same concept that the Black Panthers championed in Oakland as it seeks to establish an elected council of nine civilians who would be completely independent of law enforcement. This group will be known as CPAC- Civilian Police Accountability Council.
We know history repeats itself when it goes unchecked, and this circumstance is no exception. By establishing a new entity that has power over the police, (yes, they actually do), the school is allowing members of the CPAC organization to dictate rules and regulations to an entire population without any accountability set in place for themselves. With the construction of CPAC, the group will be allowed to take away whichever measures put in place that they want in order to achieve their own goals. They would be able to protect their own in the hiring and firing process, which also accounts for the staffing of the police chief. They would oversee the budget in place for your safety and create their own “accountability measures” they deem appropriate. Seems like quite an authoritative group, if you ask me!
Jay Yates, a member of Justice 4 Jamar, claims, “CPAC is really trying to mediate the behavior of the police, knowing that the function of the police is to oppress its community. It’s not about reforming the police, it’s about curtailing their power.”
These two campus groups are actively persuading students to get involved with their ideology, bringing attention to the school administration constantly regarding the demand for CPAC. Throughout the past year, they have held marches, die-ins, protests on and off-campus to persuade the school administration to implement their new organization. They have even gone on to create a petition for student activists to sign, with 700 current signatures (according to petition organizers) so far. You can see their Instagram page below:
We know that groups seeking to replace or “monitor” the police will not end well in the long run. Human nature is to sin, want more power and control, and make selfish decisions based on personal gain, which is why these kinds of organizations cannot be implemented. College campuses are becoming less and less tolerant of opposing viewpoints (specifically to conservative students), and removing the police is bound to inflict more harm, violence, and tragedy to every race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation.
