TRU has long advocated for non-policing alternatives to public safety. Our members have repeatedly called for the abolition of the JHPD, demanding that JHU invest in measures of care that empower and meet the needs of our communities. These alternatives include measures such as unarmed personnel to de-escalate conflicts and address non-violent safety concerns, bolstering mental health intervention and mental health infrastructure, and investing in safe, frequent, and reliable public transportation.
The majority of the cases of crime being reported are non-violent in nature and require a behavioral health response, crisis de-escalation, or, in the case of sexual violence, a survivor-focused sexual assault response. None of these responses requires armed, reactive private police officers. We are deeply disturbed to hear of the recent incidence of sexual violence on our campus. We maintain that JHPD does nothing to prevent cases of sexual violence, such as the most recent incident, and provides zero recourse for survivors, arriving on the scene after the violence has occurred and unashamedly offering no form of real justice to the survivors. JHU students, workers, and organizers have long advocated for restorative justice measures for survivors of sexual assault, ensuring that survivors have access to resources and support networks that are independent of the state.
Since JHPD’s rollout on campus this past academic year, TRU’s experience has confirmed what we predicted: JHPD obstructs union activity and represses labor organizing. In May of this year, JHPD forcibly escorted union organizers off campus for flyering about our demands to defend international workers. JHPD consistently violates our contractual protections against surveillance and right to protest, actively making us (and campus) less safe in the process.
We are not alone in these experiences. Peaceful student protestors and organizers have been physically harmed, harassed, and chased off campus by the JHPD. Communities are growing more and more vocal in their opposition to the JHPD, calling for the city council to hold a hearing for the repeal of the unpopular Memorandum of Understanding legitimizing the JHPD. TRU has also endorsed this call and joined this fight. We believe progressive policing is a myth, and JHPD must be abandoned completely in order to provide justice to alternative abolitionist strategies to truly keep our communities safe.