imperial policing
weaponized data in carceral chicago
exposing the carceral webs and weaponized data that shape Chicago’s police wars
Chicago is a city with extreme concentrations of racialized poverty and inequity, one that relies on an extensive network of repressive agencies to police the poor and suppress struggles for social justice. Imperial Policing examines the role of local law enforcement, federal immigration authorities, and national security agencies in upholding the city’s highly unequal social order.
Collaboratively authored by the Policing in Chicago Research Group, Imperial Policing was developed in dialogue with movements on the front lines of struggles against racist policing in Black, Latinx, and Arab/Muslim communities. It analyzes the connections between three police “wars”—on crime, terror, and immigrants—focusing on the weaponization of data and the coordination between local and national agencies to suppress communities of color and undermine social movements. Topics include high-tech, data-based tools of policing; the racialized archetypes that ground the police wars; the manufacturing of criminals and terrorists; the subversion of sanctuary city protections; and abolitionist responses to policing, such as the Erase the Database campaign.
Police networks and infrastructure are notoriously impenetrable to community members and scholars, making Imperial Policing a rare, vital example of scholars working directly with community organizations to map police networks and intervene in policing practices. Engaging in a methodology designed to provide support for transformative justice organizations, the Policing in Chicago Research Group offers a critical perspective on the abolition of imperial policing, both in Chicago and around the globe.
gallery of images from the book
Figure 1. Freedom Square was a 41-day “community laboratory for police abolition” built on reciprocity, restorative justice, and community care and love. (letusbreathecollective.com). Photograph by and courtesy of Sarah-Ji.
Figure 2. On October 9, 2016, a multi-racial coalition of organizers disrupted the beginning of the Illinois Tactical Officer’s Association Conference in Chicago. Photograph by and courtesy of Sarah-Ji.
Figure 3. Using a counter-surveillant gaze, we highlight and examine police databases, data collection processes, and interagency collaboration. Photograph by and courtesy of Sarah-Ji.
Figure 4. A quote by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. about the danger of white moderates is held at a #ReclaimMLK protest. Photograph by and courtesy of Sarah-Ji.
Figure 5. Community safety and health require the rejection of carceral institutions and reinvestment in non-carceral alternatives. Artwork by and courtesy of Monica Trinidad.
Figure 6. A North Side memorial honors those killed by police. Photograph by and courtesy of Sarah-Ji.
Figure 7. Reef leads a community line dance at a peace circle event. Photograph by and courtesy of Edvetté Wilson Jones.
Figure 8. Rasmea Odeh at an April 28, 2015 emergency action in solidarity with Baltimore after the killing of Freddie Gray. Photograph by and courtesy of Sarah-Ji.
Figure 9a & Figure 9b. In this art piece, Hoda Katebi and Mary Zerkel highlight the use of SARs to police Muslim communities. Photograph by and courtesy of Sarah-Ji.
Figure 9b. In this art piece, Hoda Katebi and Mary Zerkel highlight the use of SARs to police Muslim communities. Photograph by and courtesy of Sarah-Ji.
Figure 10. The chalk graffiti states that ICE and the police are the same “bullshit.” Photograph by and courtesy of Sarah-Ji.
Figure 11. Wilmer, Celene, and their children celebrate Wilmer’s release with community members. Photograph by Antonio Gutierrez; Courtesy of Organized Communities Against Deportation.
Figure 12. The February 2016 coalitionary action that shut down the street in front of ICE’s Chicago headquarters. Photo by and courtesy of Isaac Silver.
Figure 13. The updated banner at the Expanded Sanctuary campaign launch press conference. Photograph by and courtesy of Sarah-Ji.
Figure 14. The official logo of the Erase the Database Campaign. Image courtesy of the Erase the Database Campaign.
Figure 15. Resistance to imperial policing must be domestic and global. Art by Alec Dunn; Courtesy of Dissenters.
Figure 16. Abolition requires a radical imagination of new ways of relating to each other and addressing our problems. Photograph by and courtesy of Sarah-Ji.
Figure 17. Abolition is only possible through solidarity. Artwork by and courtesy of Monica Trinidad.
policing in chicago research group
the Policing in Chicago Research Group is an activist research collective composed primarily of current and former graduate students at the University of Illinois Chicago whose work is committed to supporting abolitionist movements, transformative justice organizations and targeted communities.
this book is collectively authored by Andy Clarno, Enrique Alvear Moreno, Janaé Bonsu-Love, Lydia Dana, Michael De Anda Muñiz, Ilā Ravichandran, and Haley Volpintesta.
reports
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Suspicious Activity Reports and the Surveillance State
MAY 2022
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Accountability After Abolition
MAY 2019
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Expansive and Focused Surveillance
JUNE 2018
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Tracked and Targeted
FEB 2018
downloads
This customized discussion guide is an accompaniment to the book that allows for expanded access, reflection, and multi-use possibilities in a range of spaces from organizing to classrooms to personal reading support. It is broken down by chapter and designed to foster dialogue around the content of the book, with a focus on key takeaways.
infographic
by lizartistry
This original infographic provides an illustrated representation of key concepts, connections, and conclusions developed in the book. It is intended to facilitate discussion and promote dialogue in classrooms, workshops, community spaces, and beyond.
discussion guide
by Rachael Zafer
upcoming events
Friday, September 30, 2024
12pm PDT
Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration Colloquium
University of California, Berkeley
Institute of Governmental Studies
Harris Room - 119 Philosophy Hall
Berkeley, CA
media
When 'if you see something, say something' goes wrong: Unfounded reports of suspicious activity overwhelmingly target Arabs, Muslims doing routine activities, new report shows
By Samah Assad, Megan Hickey
July 1, 2022 / 10:30 AM CDT / CBS Chicago
Illinois state government transparency in doubt with "suspicious activity reports"
Mar 12, 2024
The reports taken around Chicagoland are maintained by the FBI. The glaring disparity is that most of the people who were reported were Arab and Muslim.
CBS 2 Investigator Megan Hickey reports.