The last two weeks we have seen an upsurge of support for Pivot’s Criminalization & Police Accountability work. People are moved to act by the uprising for justice in response to the deaths of George Floyd, Tony McDade, Nina Pop and Breonna Taylor and countless Black people murdered by law enforcement. In so-called Canada, we have seen community-led vigils responding to the death of Regis Korchinski-Paquet, an Afro-Indigenous woman who died after police responded to a 911 call at her home.
Get Updates
Using the law as a catalyst for positive social change, Pivot Legal Society works to improve the lives of marginalized communities.
Individuals, communities and organizations are looking for ways to actively support Black people’s struggle for liberation. As an organization committed to social justice work, we recognize our duty to uplift Black voices and identify the impacts of anti-Black racism across our work.
To this end we hope you will donate funds to two local Black-led organizations currently raising funds.
Hogan’s Alley Society
Hogan’s Alley Society seeks to preserve and promote the historical, cultural, societal and economic contributions made by Black Settlers and their descendants to Vancouver, Greater Vancouver, the Province of British Columbia, the Pacific Northwest and Canada. Pivot’s Know Your Rights Handbook was in part informed by workshops facilitated by Hogan’s Alley Society members at Nora Hendrix Place.
Donate to Hogan's Alley Society!
Black in BC Community Support Fund for COVID-19
The Black in BC Community Support Fund is a fundraiser for a low-barrier, emergency, micro-grant program for Black people in British Columbia, Canada, who are experiencing financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Donate to Black in BC Community Support Fund for COVID-19!
Vancouver Black Therapy & Advocacy Fund
Vancouver Black Therapy & Advocacy Fund is a not-for-profit initiative that aims to raise funds to make Black therapy resources, advocacy, and mental health support more accessible to Black community members in the Lower Mainland.
Donate to Vancouver Black Therapy & Advocacy Fund
If you donate $20 or more, send a screenshot of your donation and mailing address to [email protected] and we will send you a hardcopy of “Know Your Rights Handbook: A guide for people who rely on public space.”
We understand that not everyone may have financial capacity to make donations and we will provide free copies of the guide for people who rely on public space. If you need a hardcopy of the guide and cannot donate, please let us know. The guide can also be found online at: https://www.pivotlegal.org/know-your-rights-handbook
We encourage our supporters to take the time to understand the relationship between anti-Black racism and systemic harms, including police violence.
Reading Resources
Finally, Pivot recognizes that each of us has a responsibility to educate ourselves and our communities about anti-Blackness within our work and everyday lives. We encourage our supporters to take the time to understand the relationship between anti-Black racism and systemic harms, including police violence. We have put together a list of resources that we hope will inform our supporters and our own work going forth.
10 habits of someone who doesn’t know they’re Anti-Black
(May 2020) by Cicely Blain
Abolition in Canada Syllabus
compiled by members of the Abolition in Canada Network listserv
Black Communities Need Support, Not a Coronavirus Police State
(April 2020) by Robyn Maynard and Andrea J. Ritchie
Bluesprint: Black British Columbian Literature and Orature
(2002) by Wayde Compton
Dear Current Occupant
(2017) by Chelene Knight
Policing Black Lives: State Violence in Canada from Slavery to the Present
(October 2017) by Robyn Maynard
Reading Towards Abolition: A Reading List on Policing, Rebellion, and the Criminalization of Blackness
compiled by The Abusable Past Collective
Reformist reforms vs. abolitionist steps in policing
by CRITICAL RESISTANCE
The Canadian war on drugs: Structural violence and unequal treatment of Black Canadians
(December 2013) by Akwatu Khenti
The Skin We're In A Year of Black Resistance and Power
(January 2020) by Desmond Cole
The End of Policing
(October 2017) by Alex S. Vitale (EBook is currently free online)
Towards a Healthy City: Anti-Blackness Equity Principles for Engagement and Practice in Vancouver
(August 2019) by Oludolapo Makinde
Who Do You Serve, Who Do You Protect? Police Violence and Resistance in the United States
(June 2016) edited by Joe Macaré, Maya Schenwar, and Alana Yu-lan Price
Why it Matters that Bedford is Black: Misogynoir and Sex Work in Canada
(February 2020) by Danielle Barreto
MAILING NOTE: Pivot staff will be mailing the Know Your Rights handbooks out on a weekly basis. We will be sending the handbooks through regular lettermail, only within Canada. We note that Canada Post is currently experiencing delays due to safety protocols and increased demands on postal workers.
