to Protect and Serve

200+ recordings of police brutality and violence since May 26, 2020

Since George Floyd's death, over 200 incidents of police violence and disproportionate response have been recorded by protestors, journalists, and civilians.

Black and minority communities have struggled with targetted violence for generations. This problem isn't new. But the recent combination of widespread protests and the drastic increase in civilian-led recording/documentation efforts have showcased America's policing-problem in new detail.

For decades, US police forces have hidden behind the excuse that videos of police violence against minorities showed isolated problems with individual cops. These videos, in aggregate, strongly refute that claim. They offer a direct response to critics who claim that police violence is unsual, non-systemic, or over-dramatized by media.

The videos show in plain, undeniable terms the scope of the problem we face: a police force that is unnaccountable, untrained, and systemically corrupt.

Sources

This project was made possible because of the archival efforts at github.com/2020PB/police-brutality, with additional help from github.com/nickatnight/policebrutality.io. Both of these are community-led documentation projects for police violence. If you know of additional incidents, consider submitting them.

Individual videos shown here are owned by their respective creators.

This is a work-in-progress. If you notice errors or want to contribute, you can do so at gitlab.com/to-protect-and-serve/site