Call On Me, Not The Cops

By

18 Million Rising

Call On Me, Not the Cops was written during the Black Lives Matter uprisings in the summer of 2020 -- the largest racial justice movement in U.S. history. As Asian Americans, we recognized the need for a culturally-specific roadmap to have conversations with our families about finding safety with each other, not the police. 

We are re-releasing Call On Me, Not the Cops this time as a zine because a year later it is still urgent. In addition to the original 13 letters, you'll find an updated introduction discussing the sharp rise in anti-Asian violence in the Bay Area and across the country in 2021, as well as links to an additional library of abolitionist learning resources, and a digital download.

Call On Me, Not the Cops is meant to be read and used with our zine Unmasking Yellow Peril. Anti-Asian violence in the United States has risen 1900%. This is happening in the context of decades of racialized class conflict stemming from the Model Minority Myth and an even longer history of Yellow Peril. We are also reminded that these attacks are tied to deep histories of racism and inequity in this country. The rise in Anti-Asian violence and devastation of Pacific Islanders by the pandemic underscores the urgency of responding with long term commitments to transforming our schools and community safety that disavows anti-Black reactions and supports indigenous sovereignty.

This is why we think offering these two zines together is so important. Now is our opportunity to organize for solutions that create safety for all our communities, instead of those that pit us against each other.