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Community Not Cops Kjipuktuk

@communitynotcops.bsky.social

100 followers 53 following 28 posts

Kjipuktuk based coalition working to defund, detask and abolish the police
🌱⛓️‍💥🍉

linktr.ee/communitynotcopskjipuktuk

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Community Not Cops Kjipuktuk

@communitynotcops.bsky.social

On the flip side, 14 additional RCMP positions ($1,018,700) were given the green light.👎 (see image for voting results)

That leaves just one policing budget request left on the BAL—the whopping $603,000 Armoured “Rescue” Vehicle. This will be voted on tomorrow, Friday March 21st. 7/11

Sam Austin, Shawn Cleary, Laura White and Virginia Hinch voted against the RCMP budget and all other councillors and the mayor voted in favour

March 20, 2025 at 9:53 PM

Community Not Cops Kjipuktuk

@communitynotcops.bsky.social

-- calling for an end to police-led wellness checks after the tragic loss of two community members during HRP “wellness check” interventions where tasers were deployed.

Here are the results of the vote for the Community Crisis Diversion Pilot.

3/11

March 20, 2025 at 9:45 PM

Community Not Cops Kjipuktuk

@communitynotcops.bsky.social

March 18, 2025 at 11:28 PM

Community Not Cops Kjipuktuk

@communitynotcops.bsky.social

Join our phone zap! Happening Monday March 17th 12-1:30pm! Link to register: cfsfcee.zoom.us/meeting/register/ekkRpMDJSDeyUuE5ltCzsA

More info ⬇️

March 15, 2025 at 11:40 PM

Community Not Cops Kjipuktuk

@communitynotcops.bsky.social

tank the tank <3

email your councillor: docs.google.com/document/u/0...

January 21, 2025 at 12:23 AM

Community Not Cops Kjipuktuk

@communitynotcops.bsky.social

Linked below you'll find the Councilor emails and District!
docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

The image features a bold yellow background with text in various sections. At the top, large bold text in yellow with a darker outline reads: "IT WORKED BEFORE!"
Below, in white text outlined in black:
"In 2020, community spoke out against purchase of a tank and the motion passed 16-1 to cancel it."
A white box beneath this contains smaller black text:
"Deputy Mayor Lisa Blackburn was another councillor who reconsidered. She thanked the hundreds of people who emailed her and said she feels like you can’t defund the police without a plan."
Further down, a series of yellow-highlighted quotes in black text are displayed:
• "There’s a lot of us that are having buyer’s remorse about the armoured vehicle, that’s for sure,” Coun. Waye Mason said in an interview Thursday.
• "Mason said he’s received nearly 350 emails this week about the armoured vehicle and defunding police generally."
• "I’m telling them I’ve changed my mind and that I was wrong,” he said.
At the bottom, a separate block of text in white states:
"The potential damaging negatives socially and in policing of having a vehicle like that deployed for crowd control or in a protest situation is far more damaging than not having it for the possible, very rare incident that you might be able to use it for a shooting."
At the very bottom, bold white text encourages action:
"Let’s make this happen again!
See our following slides for points you can include in an email, council contact emails, and the link in our bio for an email template."
A small white arrow points to the right at the bottom-right corner.

The image has a bright blue background with bold text and speech bubble designs. At the top, large text in light blue with a darker outline reads:
"THE HYPOCRISY IS NOT OK"
Below, in white text:
"It is unethical and irresponsible to give the police over $1.5 million for a tank and new vehicles and $101,000,000."
A subheading in bold light blue text states:
"- especially when -"
Beneath, there are multiple light blue speech bubbles containing various points in white text:
• "our unhoused neighbours are being evicted from tents instead of housed"
• "we are in a manufactured housing crisis"
• "our healthcare system continues to be underfunded and is in crisis"
• "Food insecurity and poverty are at an all-time high"
• "transit is short-staffed and bus lines are cut"
• "HRM says they don’t have the money to give library workers liveable wages"
• "firefighters are fundraising to simply remain operational"
• "we are in an epidemic of intimate partner violence with experts and survivors advocating for non-police measures"
At the bottom, bold white text states:
"we should be funding care, not cops."

This image is an orange poster encouraging people to email their concerns to the HRM (Halifax Regional Municipality) council about municipal budget allocations. Here's an appropriate alt text description:
"Orange poster titled 'EMAIL' in bold, uppercase letters. It encourages residents to voice concerns to the HRM council regarding misallocated municipal funds. It mentions a pre-made email template accessible via a QR code or a link in the bio. Below, bullet points highlight key issues: increasing police militarization negatively impacts marginalized communities, the need to prioritize fire and community-centered initiatives over police funding, and concerns about HRP's (Halifax Regional Police's) excessive force and accountability. The poster urges action before the municipal budget is finalized."

Orange poster titled 'EMAIL POINTS CONT.' in bold uppercase letters. It provides additional points to include in emails to the HRM council. Bullet points discuss: the HRP already receiving two new armored trucks and access to an RCMP tank with no proven need, the use of the Portapique mass shooting as justification for the tank's necessity despite its ineffectiveness in preventing casualties, encouragement to share personal experiences with the police and suggest alternative uses for the funds, and a reminder that a tank is a weapon that has been voted down before under public pressure. At the bottom, bold text states 'WE KEEP EACH OTHER SAFE.'"

January 20, 2025 at 1:32 PM

Community Not Cops Kjipuktuk

@communitynotcops.bsky.social

This image critiques the rebranding of military vehicles as “rescue vehicles” and highlights concerns about their use. The background consists of a green military-style texture, with bold white text at the top reading:
“EXPERTS CALL IT A TANK, WE WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO.”
Below this, a paragraph in smaller white text states:
“Hundreds of these military vehicles have been sold and shipped to Ukraine for their warzones, and there are current contracts with ‘Israel’ for these vehicles, which are frozen and under investigation.”
The image includes a screenshot from a news video by CBC titled “Ukrainians in Canada help build armoured vehicles for the war”. It shows armored, military-grade vehicles in a warehouse setting. The vehicles are olive green, with reinforced plating, heavy-duty tires, and features commonly associated with military combat vehicles.
At the bottom, additional bold white text reads:
“They can’t just change the colour and rename it to a ‘rescue vehicle.’ This is a weapon of war and has been used by police forces against protestors and disproportionately against marginalized communities.”

This image critiques the justification for acquiring military-grade vehicles, emphasizing that their use is unwarranted. The background is textured black, with bold, silver text at the top reading:
“A TANK IS A TANK”
Directly below, pink text states:
“To the BoPC, HRM, and HRP: not all tanks have tracks, please do the research and stop gaslighting the public.”
The central part of the image features a screenshot of a Google search result for “Military Tanks & Vehicles.” It shows rows of armored military vehicles in various settings, including desert landscapes and highways. Many are wheeled, not tracked, to highlight the argument.
To the right, additional pink text reads:
• “Getting a tank because other municipalities have them is not a real reason.”
• “We aren’t other cities.”
• “We don’t want this.”
• “The BoPC have proven themselves to be a rubber stamp for the police.”
At the bottom right, a pink stick figure with crossed arms stands in a disapproving posture, with an arrow pointing toward one of the vehicles. Another white arrow in the bottom right corner suggests further continuation.

The image features bold green text at the top reading "ALARMING GUN PORTS" on a light green background. Below, in white text, it states:
"In 2020, Halifax councillor Sean Cleary recalled:
'In the tender documents, they wanted a powered battering ram, they wanted three gun ports per side, one in the back and rotating one on top' – Vice. This equals to 8 gun ports, including a machine gun turret.
Now, this time 'HRP won't say if they're asking for the optional machine gun turret shown in this schematic drawing of the Terradyne MPV.' – The Coast"
Further below, in black text, a quote from Araceli Marquez reads:
"In the last few decades, surplus military equipment has created a situation where police have used more aggressive tactics, leading to the normalization of two separate entities converging."
At the bottom of the image, another quote in white text on the green background states:
"From a general perspective, any of these vehicles outside of a military setting is just militarizing the police. It also creates this image that police are at war with their own community." – CBC

January 20, 2025 at 1:32 PM

Community Not Cops Kjipuktuk

@communitynotcops.bsky.social

THE BoPC is NOT fooling the Public:
pbicanada.org/2024/03/29/o...

This image is a graphic update about the Halifax Regional Police (HRP) requesting $600,000 for an armored tank. The background is green with white text and includes two pink stick figures with surprised expressions on either side of the title. The title reads "UPDATES SINCE LAST POST" in large, bold letters, followed by "$600,000 is how much the HRP are asking for the tank." The text below includes several bullet points detailing the situation:
1. The Board of Police Commissioners (BoPC) recommended the tank to Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) for budget approval despite not knowing the tank's specifications.
2. The RCMP's tank was used by HRP 8 times in the past year and was unavailable 33% of the time, meaning HRP requested it around 11 times, with 3 instances of unavailability.
3. Commissioner Greg O'Malley expressed a desire to keep future policies for ARV tank use as broad as possible.
4. The police will formally ask the council for the tank on February 19 or 20 when the Fleet budget is presented.
5. None of the BoPC members know what the tank looks like, raising questions about their recommendation.
The overall tone of the graphic suggests concern or skepticism about the approval and use of the tank.

This image is a graphic with a yellow background and a bold title at the top that reads "DO THEY EVEN KNOW WHAT'S TRUE?" in large, yellow letters. Below the title, there is a screenshot of a Board of Police Commissioners meeting with the caption, "This is a stitch of Cathie O'Toole in January and December representing how she changed her story." The image includes the following bullet points:
• On December 18th, Cathie O'Toole told the BoPC that an armored rescue vehicle was urgently ordered due to an "occupational health and safety requirement" for the HRP, referencing two ARV trucks.
• The two ARV trucks purchased have Level III armor, providing ballistic shielding for a range of guns, including rifles. The text expresses disapproval of purchasing these vehicles, advocating for de-tasking the police.
• On December 24th, the union president representing HRP, Darla Perry, filed a complaint with the Labour Department for an armored rescue vehicle due to occupational health and safety concerns.
• The text questions why the matter isn’t settled if the ARV trucks were ordered urgently for health and safety reasons.
• It points out a change in Cathie O'Toole's stance during the January 15th meeting, where she minimized the trucks to replacement pickup trucks, suggesting it feels coincidental with HRP's argument for the ARV tank as a special request.
The tone of the graphic is skeptical, highlighting inconsistencies in the narrative about the armored vehicle purchase.

A collage criticizing the potential purchase of an armored vehicle by Halifax police. The central headline reads, "The BOPC Is Not Fooling the Public."
The upper left section shows an image of a white and black armored vehicle labeled "Police" with a caption stating, "Tony Mancini says (while admitting to having no details of what the ARV tank will look like) that CBC has misrepresented the ARV tank and tells people to search NB’s armored vehicle instead. CBC included a picture of the ARV tank that HRP borrows and has noted as the model they want."
The middle section highlights a headline from CBC News: "Halifax police asking for armoured vehicle in upcoming budget," with a subheading: "Unclear what vehicle would cost, cancelled 2019 model was $368,000."
Below this is a comparison, featuring two images of armored vehicles. One is labeled "RCMP" and another is a civilian model, the Monstrous Atlas APC, described as a "$400K Ford-Based Military Truck For Civilians." A caption says, "Can you spot the major differences?"
The bottom right shows a stick figure shrugging with the caption, "Looks similar to us. Though no matter what it looks like, it is still a wasteful and harmful use of funds."
The overall tone is critical of the police's budget allocation toward armored vehicles.

January 20, 2025 at 1:32 PM

Community Not Cops Kjipuktuk

@communitynotcops.bsky.social

Don’t let them convince you that any of the over $101,000,000 spent annually on policing wouldn’t be better reallocated to community support programs like firefighters; civilian-led response programs; Food security; Accessible transit/better infrastructure; Youth Programs and more!

Illustration with a purple background and bold text at the top reading 'STOP THE TANK AGAIN AND FUND COMMUNITY.' The design includes images of a fire truck, a snowplow, a library, a ferry, keys with a house icon, and a public bus, alongside a green checkmark labeled 'redirect funds.' In contrast, there are crossed-out images of a police car and a military-style armored vehicle. At the bottom, orange text reads 'CALL TO ACTION & UPDATE,' and the handle '@CommunityNotCopsKjipuktuk' is displayed below.

at the top reads "THE BUDGET IS NOT SET IN STONE." Below the title, the text encourages viewers not to believe that the over $101,000,000 spent annually on policing cannot be reallocated. It suggests that these funds could be used for community supports such as:
• Firefighters
• Civilian-led programs for prevention and crisis response
• Food security programs
• More accessible transit and infrastructure
• Removing costs of children's programs
• Creation and development of new community tools
The graphic emphasizes that reallocating these funds is a matter of priority, stating, "We’ve done it before, it’s simply a matter of priority!" The tone is motivational and advocates for reallocating funds to community services.

January 20, 2025 at 1:32 PM

Community Not Cops Kjipuktuk

@communitynotcops.bsky.social

Felt like an appropriate repost for today — politicians & elections will never free us — whatever you do today, make sure you’re plugging in all year round