Counter Moves in Anti-Security Work: alternatives to the civilian production of police transparency

• In Event: Policing Capital: The Logic of Pacification

Abstract

With the rise in easy video recording came a rise in the documentation of police brutality. One only need do a quick Youtube search to find dozens of documented cases. In response to these videos, many community activists push for police "transparency", often requesting additional placement of video cameras in police vehicles and/or on law enforcement themselves. These actions are met either with resistance by law enforcement or with limiting success in the transformation of law enforcement institutions. Using an anti-security framework, this paper examines alternatives to the "transparency model" seeking change. The paper presents both a theoretical critique of transparency and documentation of activists engaging in alternative types of police surveillance. These counter moves reverse the surveillance gaze to change the power balance in heavily police communities. We examine if these activities can shift the balance of power in heavily policed communities. And if so, what might we expect as a result?"

Authors

• Luis Fernandez, Northern Arizona University

• Ben Brucato, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute