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The Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee—or DACAC for short— is a grassroots direct action community organization that works with families that are victims of police brutality. Our goal is to achieve community control of the police through the means of a Civilian Police Accountability Council. Learn more by reading below.
The Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee—or DACAC for short— is a grassroots direct action community organization that works with families that are victims of police brutality. Our goal is to achieve community control of the police through the means of a Civilian Police Accountability Council. Learn more by reading below.
About Community Control
About Community Control
The concept of community control did not come out of thin air. It was formulated by activists combating racist police violence many decades ago in groups like the Black Panther Party and the Crusade for Justice, two organizations who have had a deep impact on the Denver area. Points 7 and 10 of the BPP’s famous Ten Point Program say: “We want an immediate end to police brutality and murder of Black people, other people of color, all oppressed people inside the United States.” “We want land, bread, housing, education, clothing, justice, peace, and people’s community control of modern technology.” The Crusade’s Plan Espiritual de Aztlán says: “Our struggle then must be for the control of our barrios, campos, pueblos, lands, our economy, our culture, and our political life.” “Institutions in our community which do not serve the people have no place in the community. The institutions belong to the people.”
What is a CPAC?
What is a CPAC?
Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee (DACAC) fights for community control of the police through the means of a Civilian Police Accountability Council (CPAC). We believe that justice comes from democracy—from the people. To effect justice, we have to organize democratic organs that can actually have power over the police; CPAC is one of those organs. Only when people have democratic control over police budget, hiring/firing (including of police chiefs), subpoena power, indictment power, and power to set policy will we even approach justice. If you’ve ever thought to yourself, “I wish the police weren’t so racist, violent, and dangerous” you believe in community control—you want your thoughts to be put into action, which means you believe in democracy. We will only get that democracy through organizing. No one can take on the police alone and win. Joining an organization like DACAC ensures that we are united around a common goal, namely community control.
What Can a CPAC Do?
What Can a CPAC Do?
A Civilian Police Accountability Council has the power to:
Hire and fire police officers, from beat cops to the chief of police.
Write police policy, oversight policy, and budget.
Subpoena witnesses to gather evidence of police crimes and misconduct.
Indict officers for the crimes they commit.
What is NAARPR?
What is NAARPR?
DACAC is also a part of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR), an organization co-founded by Frank Chapman and Angela Davis that has been struggling for community control of police for fifty years. In 2012, the Chicago chapter of NAARPR began campaigning for CPAC. Over 9 years of struggle and building a broad coalition including faith groups, labor unions, and other groups mobilizing hundreds of thousands of people across Chicago to pass the Empowering Communities for Public Safety ordinance in 2021. This law created the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability which formed in 2023. This commission is made up of over 60 elected representatives from across Chicago. These are not career politicians; these people are teachers, union workers, faith leaders, parents, working-class folks who are invested in police accountability. This body has final say over policy for the Chicago Police Department (CPD), the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) and the Police Board, as well as oversight of CPD’s compliance to policy, appointment of the head of COPA, and power to assess the qualifications of – and nominate – candidates for Police Superintendent and members of the Police Board. ECPS represents the first big step taken towards building community control of police in the United States.
How can you get involved?
How can you get involved?
Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee (DACAC) is a direct action community organization that works with families that are victims of police brutality. Join us in making steps towards changing the policing system. Learn more by following us on social media or coming to our meetings.
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