HISTORICAL

 TIMELINE  ON  POLICING  &  RESISTANCE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES  

Developed  for  Project  South’s  workshop  ‘This  is  NOT  what  Democracy  Looks  Like’  
 
Timeline  of  Impunity  Against   Timeline  of  Militarized  Police   Timeline  of  People’s  
Black  People  &  Native  People   in  the  USA   Resistance  &  Actions  for  
in  the  USA   Liberation  of  All    
1492-­‐Present-­‐  European  &  then   1500-­‐1600-­‐  European  Nations   1500-­‐1865-­‐  Enslaved  
USA  Imperialism,  Colonialism  &   use  military,  chemical  &   Africans  plan  &  work  
Slavery  sets  the  basis  for  White   cultural  warfare  across  the   rebellions  against  slavery  &  
Supremacy,  Capitalism  &   Americas  kills  70-­‐90  million   plantation  system.    
Gender  Oppression  and  fuels   Native  People.    
the  power  of  the  ruling  elite     1526-­‐  Pee  Dee  River  
class  in  the  USA  &  Globe.     1500-­‐1900-­‐  Between  10-­‐15   community  of  South  
  million  Africans  enslaved  &   Carolina.  Slave  Rebellion  
1735-­‐  Georgia  is  founded  as  a   upwards  of  60  million  Africans   against  the  Spanish  
prison  colony  before  becoming   are  killed  in  Transatlantic  Slave   “settlers”  unites  stolen  
a  slave  colony  under  the  Royal   Trade.   Africans  with  American  
Crown.     Indians.  The  “Black  Indians”  
  1700s-­‐  “Slave  Patrols”  emerge   of  the  Pee  Dee  River  set  up  
1830s-­‐  By  this  time,  most   in  South  Carolina  and  births   the  first  colony  on  the  
Southern  States  have  laws  that   the  idea  of  USA  police  force.   continent  that  calls  for  &  
forbid  teaching  people  in     practices  equality  for  all  
slavery  to  read.   1845-­‐1860s-­‐  Urban  Police   people.  
  Forces  are  created.    
1857-­‐  US  Supreme  Court     1672-­‐1864-­‐  At  least  50  
declares  the  Black  man  has  no   1880s-­‐1970s-­‐  Former   Maroon  communities  
rights  under  US  law  in  the  ‘Dred   members  of  slave  patrols,   across  the  South.  These  
Scot  decision’.     confederate  army  &  their   communities  of  Africans  
  descendants  become   and  Native  Americans  
1882-­‐1968-­‐  Almost  4000  Black   militarized  force  for  social   liberated  themselves  from  
people  are  lynched  across  the   control.  Most  famously  KKK.     slavery  &  colonialism.  
US  South  with  no  federal  anti-­‐   These  liberated  zones  
lynching  law  passed.     1896-­‐  New  York  City  is  first  to   provided  safe  haven  for  
  standardize  &  arm  its  police   community  and  helped  
1904-­‐  Present-­‐  Parchman  Farm   force  under  the  leadership  of   launch  attacks  Plantations  
in  Mississippi  shifts  from   future  US  President  Theodore   &  colonial  military  freeing  
Plantation  for  Slavery  to  Prison   Roosevelt,  who  was  the  city’s   more  enslaved  Africans.    
for  prison  labor.   police  commissioner  at  the    
  time.   1865-­‐1880-­‐  Reconstruction:  
1960-­‐Present-­‐  The  FBI’s     Formerly  enslaved  people  
domestic  Counter  Intelligence   1931-­‐1950s-­‐  US  Government  &   build  10,000  schools  &  
Program,  COINTELRO  is   Academia  pushes  increased   other  institutions  for  self-­‐
developed  to  destroy  Black,   “crime  control”  and   determination  &  practice  
Latino,  Native  &  working  class   “criminology”  is  developed   radical  democracy.  
individuals  and  organizations   with  corresponding      
considered  to  be  politically   government  policy.   1881-­‐Washerwomen  in  
objectionable  by  the  FBI.   Atlanta  form  the  Washing  
1971-­‐  George  Jackson,   1950s-­‐Present-­‐  Police  are  used   Society  and  organize  the  
imprisoned  in  1959  for  stealing   as  first  line  of  defense  for  the   largest  known  strike  by  
$70  from  a  gas  station,  is  killed   elite  against  rising  social   Black  women  domestic  
in  an  alleged  escape  attempt.  A   movements.   workers  to  date.  
member  and  leader  of  the  Black      
Panther  Party,  Jackson  had   1965-­‐  LAPD  establishes     1886-­‐1891-­‐  Colored  
achieved  worldwide  fame  for   "Special  Weapons  and  Tactics"   Farmers  Alliance  
writing  Soledad  Brother  while  in   SWAT  teams  in  response  to   commands  membership  of  
Prison.   Watts  uprisings  that  year.   1.2  million  Black  people  
  Militarized  police  tactics   across  US  South  
1989-­‐Savings  and  Loan  (S&L)   expand  across  country.    
Bailouts.  In  an  act  of  corporate     1965-­‐SNCC  organizers  
welfare,  Congress  grants  $157   1967-­‐  Federal  Kerner   assist  people  in  Lowndes  
billion  to  bail  out  dozens  of   Commission  admits  that   County,  Alabama  in  forming  
failing  S&Ls.  The  total  bailout  is   ‘police  action’  is  the  cause  of   the  Lowndes  County  
estimated  between  $500  billion   urban  rebellions  of  1960s   Freedom  Organization.  
and  $1.4  trillion.     LCFO  organizing  the  first  
  1970s-­‐  Small  percentage  of  UK   Black  Panther  Party  to  elect  
1999-­‐  “Zero  Tolerance”  policies   police  begin  to  carry  guns   local  officials  that  replace  
adopted  by  public  schools  in  the     the  white  supremacist  
wake  of  in-­‐school  violence.   2000-­‐In  the  US,  more  than  2   Democratic  Party.  
Black  students  are  3  to  5  times   million  people  are  incarcerated    
more  likely  to  get  suspended  or   in  prisons  or  jails.   1968-­‐The  American  Indian  
expelled.     Movement  (AIM)  is  
  2000-­‐2014-­‐  Public  Education   founded  and  patterned  
1999-­‐  The  top  1%  of  US   takes  a  new  turn,  and  a  new   after  the  Black  Panther  
households  has  more  wealth   term  is  popular:  “School  to   Party’s  community  self-­‐
than  the  bottom  95%.   Prison  Pipeline.”  Students  are   defense  model.  
  pushed  out  of  the  classroom    
1999-­‐Amadou  Diallo,  an   into  juvenile  halls  and  Prison   1998-­‐  Black  Radical  
unarmed  West  African   cells.   Congress  adopts  a  vision  
immigrant  man,  is  killed  by  New     platform  uniting  Black  
York  City  Police  Officers.  The   2001-­‐  So-­‐called  9-­‐11  is  used  as   radicals  in  opposition  to  all  
officers  fired  41  shots,  hitting   excuse  for  massive  expansion   forms  of  oppression,  
Mr.  Diallo  19  times.   of  police  militarization,   including  class  exploitation,  
    harassment  &  surveillance.   racism,  patriarchy,  
2006-­‐  Kathryn  Harris  Johnston     homophobia,  anti-­‐
killed  by  police  in  Atlanta  after   2008-­‐2014-­‐  Stoking  white   immigration  prejudice  and  
‘no-­‐knock’  warrant  served  at   supremacist  fear  of  the  first   imperialism.  
her  home.     Black  president,  media,    
  politicians,  &  organizations   2012-­‐  100s  of  organizers  
2012-­‐  Trayvon  Martin  &  many   create  an  increasingly  hostile   representing  dozens  of  
more  killed.  MXGM  documents   climate  towards  Black   organizations  gather  for  
in  Every  28  Hours  report.   communities.     Southern  Movement  
  Assembly  as  movement  
2013-­‐  Aiyanna  Jones  killed  by   governance  &  parallel  
SWAT  police  in  Detroit.   power  building  process.