The Copwatch DeCal begins with an introduction to the grassroots organization Berkeley Copwatch. The DeCal is the campus extension of Copwatch and provides students with opportunities to participate in community organizing throughout the semester.
The first official class is a Know-Your-Rights Training. We will host a Q & A session about police encounters and the lawful/proper procedures/responses. Students will also receive an in-depth training on copwatching procedure and safety from the founder of Berkeley Copwatch. Through a combination of presentations by activists in the alternative justice movement as well as direct field monitoring of police, we will study and discuss many of the harsh realities of modern policing, as well as the historical origins of how things arrived at the state they are in today. Most of the topics we discuss use local case studies involving the Berkeley Police Department & UCPD. Topics include militarization, mental health, police repression of activist movements, and current events related to police reform efforts and policing. Students will also be trained in basic criminal procedure, power analysis, techniques for observing police activity, and avenues for reporting abuses.
Berkeley Copwatch has been encouraging and educating community members to exercise their right-to-watch the police since 1990. Due to repeated instances of police violence being caught on film, the right-to-watch has been in the media spotlight. Even with video evidence, police continue to act with impunity. The DeCal is meant to provide students with the knowledge and resources to participate in the fight against police brutality.
There are two 1-2 page reflection papers due throughout the semester on course-related topics of students' choosing. There is also a final project on a topic students can choose. The most important out-of-class assignments are the five Copwatching shifts to be completed throughout the semester. Shifts can be spent Copwatching or participating in office, outreach or other work to contribute to and better understand community organizing. Students may not have more than two unexcused absences in order to pass.
Section | Facilitator | Size | Location | Time | Starts | Status | CCN(LD) | CCN(UD) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Section 1 | Emma Fogel & Peyton Provenzano | 30 | 180 Barrows | [Tu] 5:00PM-6:30PM | 01/24/2017 | Open | -- | -- |
Name | Download Link | ||
---|---|---|---|