Why do we say ACAB? It's because policing is a system of oppression. Even the nicest cop with the noblest intentions is part of that system.

ACAB – all Cops are Bastards!

Policing in the US started as a way to catch human trafficking victims (“slaves”) and return them to their abusers: The Origins of Modern Day Policing

There is NO reforming a system that began with such a nefarious purpose. This is why many of us are police abolitionists.

“Who would protect us from harm if there were no police?” Do you really feel that police protect people from harm? According to the US Supreme Court, they have no obligation to do so: Justices Rule Police Do Not Have a Constitutional Duty to Protect Someone via NYTimes

In fact, it's often the person calling for police who ends up dead: When a call to the police for help turns deadly

Police tend to target the most vulnerable folks in our communities: Half of People Killed by Police Have a Disability, Report

Police don't even try to protect children, as we saw with the Uvalde school shooting and the Parkland school shooting: Parkland shooting sheriff's deputy Scot Peterson found not guilty on all counts

But school resource officers do harm students regularly.

• 7-year-old boy with autism handcuffed, held on floor by school resource officer
• Officer punched student in the head at high school: Mayor
• Long Beach family awarded $13 million settlement for fatal school resource officer shooting, attorneys say

Police have contributed massively to the “drug war” by enforcing laws that help no one but harm many.

• War on Drugs Policing and Police Brutality
• Police enforce evictions, via The Nation

Police in Columbus specifically have a long record of k!lling our community members, mostly Black folks. A few to look up:

• Andre Hill
• Casey Goodson Jr
• Donovan Lewis
• Henry Green
• Ma'Khia Bryant
• Julius Tate
• Tyre King

And there are so many more. These cops are shooting and killing people roughly once a month or so.

Police in Franklin County shot 13 people in 2024, killing 10. See where those cases stand via dispatch

What the Hell Is Going on at the Columbus Police Department?

In 2020 CPD “ran amok” and had a blast beating the crap out of protesters: Federal Judge Bans Tear Gas on Nonviolent Protesters in Columbus (archive)

Police also tend to have white nationalist views. This is what these protests are against, are they not?: Prevalence of white supremacists in law enforcement demands drastic change

So hopefully y'all can see how it's about much more than just protest safety, it's about recognizing the oppressive nature of policing and knowing that not only are they unsafe to be at protests, but they are unsafe to be anywhere. ACAB.

written by my friend & comrade and re-posted, thank you