12345 (Queer) Reasons Not To Trust The Police

[may be rescheduled depending on the COVID situation]

Queers don’t let queers become cops.

But why?

For the same reason as why the “first pride was a riot,” as we’ve probably all heard, in more or less pinkwashed versions.

This talk will provide a brief (and nowhere near exhaustive!) overview of the history of anti-queer policing. From the police arresting people on “impersonation” charges to Compton’s Cafeteria and “Operation Soap” raids, as well as many other instances of structural police violence against queers, we’ve been shown time and time again that cops are not our friends and that while a queer person can (sometimes) become a police officer, the police as such can never be queer/ed.

After the talk, the atmosphere will get lighter, and the 2014 movie Pride (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3169706/) will be screened. Lights snacks and a special drink, Police TearsTM, will be available.

This event is a fundraiser for an individual arrested at Reykjavik Pride 2019 after being personally targeted by the Pride Board who apparently believed they were about to carry out a direct action of some kind during the Pride. They were not. They were just walking in the pride parade, along with hundreds of others, having fun and looking for their friends. But if they had been, you’d think the Pride organizers would’ve welcomed a queer-led and -focused direct action, bringing attention to the multitude of issues concerning queer individuals?

Wrong.

Instead, the Pride Board made sure to point out this particular person to the police, who arrested them without a second thought. They can do that because of the notorious Section 19 of the Icelandic Police Act, according to which the public is obliged to obey police orders, no matter what (read more about the ongoing court cases against activists using this Section here: https://www.facebook.com/nidur19, and https://adstandaupp.com/19-gr/) . The charges were dropped after a few weeks, but that does not make the experience of an arrest disappear, as arrests themselves are violent and notoriously used to bully and discourage activists. In addition to dealing with the trauma of an arrest, they’ve also had to deal with the trauma of being betrayed by their supposed queer comrades. (The 2019 Reykjavik Pride Board has still not accepted any responsibility – except for one person who has been so disillusioned by their decision that they have resigned from the Pride Parade Board – and has repeatedly supported police presence at the parade.)

The person has decided to sue the police for wrongful arrest, and so all the money raised will go to pay for the legal costs associated with this. If there is any money left, it will go to Slagtog (http://slagtog.org), a feminist self-defence collective based in Reykjavik. Feminist self-defence and community care are excellent alternatives to policing, and have been proven effective.

Looking forward to see you all! (Except cops, obviously.)

Accessibility:

There is a step before the garden gate and then 5 steps leading to the main entrance, each 17 cm high, door widths in the building vary between 50 cm (upstairs washroom door) and 80 cm (entrance door).

The bathrooms are so far only on the upper floor and in the basement. The door to the meeting room is 75 cm wide (as most other doors in the building). There is no bathroom on the ground floor.

Both washrooms in the building are gender neutral. The event takes place on the ground floor. The movie will be screened in English with English subtitles and the talk will take place in English – questions and comments in English and Icelandic will be welcome, as well as potentially other languages.

Due to COVID19, a very limited number of people will be able to take part in the event. Chairs will be spaced two metres apart and masks will need to be worn at all times, except when drinking and eating. PLEASE FOLLOW THE EVENT FOR COVID UPDATES CLOSER TO THE DATE.

—— Íslenska væntaleg. ———