Week 9: Review and Closing – 8 to Abolition and Next Steps
Supplies needed: access to audio and video capabilities
Supplies needed: access to audio and video capabilities
In this final lesson, we invite you to learn about specific steps you can take to change and challenge policing in your community. You’ll learn about 8 to Abolition, an organization that works to reduce police violence and influence. You’ll also be introduced to resources that can help you and your study group participate in the abolition movement by connecting to other organizations already doing this work, or beginning a new collective in your area. The resource page provides connections to other Mennonite congregations engaging in abolition work.
Facilitator invites participants to take one minute in silence to think through the previous lessons.
Then invite participants to share the following:
Facilitator brings up the 8toAbolition.
Scroll down to where it displays the eight policies in boxes. Invite each person in the class to read aloud one of the initiatives by clicking on each box and reading the descriptions.
Facilitator offers these questions for discussion.
In this activity, you will look up and display your local police budget.
To do this, you can visit the Cost of Police website from the Action Center on Race & the Economy and enter your city, or enter your state to find the city closest to you.
As a group, make a “wish list” of how you would reallocate this money for the issues most important to you.
Facilitator invites reflection on this discussion question:
Facilitator leads discussion with these questions.