Dear Hamilton,

Defund HPS formed in response to the death of George Floyd in 2020 in order to hold local police accountable for their actions and to educate the public about abolition in Hamilton.

In working closely with Hamilton Students for Justice (HS4J) we were successful in getting cops out of school. Through artistic disruption, we took up the streets, and in an effort to push for police dollars to be reallocated toward the housing crisis in our city, we stayed at City Hall for two weeks and formed the Hamilton Encampment Support Network (HESN), which currently has dozens of volunteers who support and defend encampments as needed. Many of us have also spent much time feeding Hamiltonians during the lockdown and stepping up to support whenever a gap in leadership presents itself civically, via vaccine outreach, Indigenous solidarity, and more.

Yet since embarking on this work, we've witnessed many people that we know and love die, have received death threats, have struggled with housing and job security, and have collectively struggled to be well. The mental health impacts of doing this work as young Black and brown people are real, and sometimes permanent. We’ve come to realize that our health, our joy, and our laughter are necessary to the radical and grassroots work that we do. Without this, the work is never complete or sustainable.

We love this city, so we are taking a break until January 2022, when boots on the ground will be needed again due to the municipal and provincial elections. In the meantime, if you're organizing around policing and would like support or mentorship, please reach out to us.

We would love your support with our care fund so that group members can access the support they need.

Lastly, we would love the chance to thank you for all of your support and to celebrate with the community again. We invite you to an appreciation party – stay tuned for the details. 

We will be back, but until then, sending out endless love, gratitude, and solidarity to you all,

Defund HPS 

UPDATE on #DroptheCharges campaign

With all your support, the #DroptheCharges campaign successfully raised over $14,000 and one of the largest tickets has been dropped. There is still an ongoing legal process to fight the tickets that organizers of the Palestinian marched received, and we will hear back in a few short weeks on whether or not these tickets will be dropped as well. The lawyers are confident in this process, and once we learn more we will update the public on how the funds will be spent.