Cop killer Justin Bourque is no hero; murder does not promote peaceful streets

The Peaceful Streets Project envisions a society free of state-sponsored institutionalized violence. However, we do not in any way promote random violence as a substitution. That is why the Peaceful Streets Project does not cheer on Justin Bourque, the cop killer in Canada. That is why the Peaceful Streets Project does not endorse the random targeting and killing of cops.

The Peaceful Streets Project eagerly points out the crimes that cops commit, and we encourage communities to engage in non-violent direct action tactics to shame and ostracize the cops who commit those crimes. Such direct action may include protesting in front of the homes of criminal cops, or the churches they attend, or the schools that their children attend. Such direct action may include door knocking to inform the cops’ neighbors of their crimes, or public information campaigns to help inform an entire region of the specific incidents where cops have committed crimes. In addition to holding police accountable through non-violent direct action tactics, members of the Peaceful Streets Project may engage in criminal or civil actions against criminal cops in their personal capacities. Further, the Peaceful Streets Project actively encourages and engages in community building activities to help individuals understand their rights and to come together to protect and serve each other.

The Peaceful Streets Project acknowledges that the institution of law enforcement is infested with criminal cops, and that the so-called “good” cops who are willing to speak out about cop crimes, to stand up to the criminal cops, and to arrest or kill criminal cops if they see them engaged in violent crimes against the public are virtually non-existent. We do not waste our time calling cops heroes or participating in the myth making that cops go out and risk their lives in dangerous jobs every day for the good of the public. We don’t celebrate cops for not breaking the law, for not infringing upon the rights of peaceful people or for moments of decency where they act in a kind manner toward their fellow human beings like many of us do every single day.

Justin Bourque is no hero. We believe heroes are those people who put their safety and liberty at risk to engage in ethical actions to help protect people who are being oppressed or victimized by bullies. The Peaceful Streets Project acknowledges that in certain circumstances engaging in self-defense or coming to the defense of others may be an appropriate response to police violence and criminal behavior. However, there is no evidence that Justin Bourque was doing either. All signs point to Justin Bourque engaging in a premeditated murder campaign against people who happen to be members of a corrupt institution. While there are thousands, or tens of thousands of cops who commit violent crimes every year, they are still a small minority of police, and not even they deserve to be summarily executed. And although the balance of cops remain silent and support the criminal actions of their thin blue line brothers and sisters, none of them deserve to be summarily executed for their cowardice and corruption.

The Peaceful Streets Project calls on all police accountability supporters and police accountability groups to distance themselves from those who are endorsing the random killing of cops. In order to fight police abuse, we must be better than it. It is wrong when cops abuse, rape, murder and frame people. It would be just as wrong for people to do the same to police.