Is the Cop Block Brand More Important Than Ideas and Effectiveness?
Over the past half decade I chose to allocate many hours and resources to disseminate the ideas encapsulated by the phrase “Badges Don’t Grant Extra Rights.” I connected with thousands of people on the ground during a handful of tours. I authored the most posts at CopBlock.org. And I uploaded the most videos to CopBlock’s Youtube channel.
During that time, in concert with many others, CopBlock.org became a resource hub. One of the most prominent features was the Groups page, which listed known police accountability groups from around the globe – not just groups who chose the “Cop Block” moniker, but also those who operated under other names, like “Cop Watch” or “Peaceful Streets.” Including these groups aligns with Cop Block’s stated mission:
Cop Block is a decentralized project supported by a diverse group of individuals united by their shared goal of police accountability.
No matter the stripe, those listed on the Groups page were helping to move things forward in their community. Without question, we’re all better off when it’s easier to find and collaborate with others nearby. The exchange of ideas, empowerment of individuals, building of networks, and voluntary solutions most excited me.
In the past, many who started new groups were known to myself or others heavily involved. Now, due to the growth of the network, and the sheer volume of people who realize the violence inherent in the police apparatus, that is no longer the case.
To ensure no new group was overlooked and to make it easier for others to connect with them, last year I added a form to that Groups page that enables new groups to add their location and contact information for all to see. As I’d hoped, the Groups page continued to grow with the addition not only of new Cop Block groups, but with Cop Watch and Peaceful Street, as well.
Then something strange happened.
Last week I received an email asking where Tampa Copwatch’s contact information had gone. Huh? I had personally added Tampa Copwatch to the Group page. The founder had ventured up to Atlanta (along with the founder of Cop Block Central Florida when I passed through town with the Police Accountability Tour). I was pretty sure Tampa Copwatch was still active.
So, I went and checked out the Groups page for myself. I found that it had been radically altered. All the non-Cop Block groups were missing. Did someone hack the page? Not exactly – it turns out that the mass deletions were made by the founder of Cop Block, Ademo Freeman. Huh?
I emailed Ademo, and noted:
Is the prime motivation for the site now to push the “CB brand” rather than to facilitate bottom-up connections regardless of the banner? Is an organization now being put before an ideal? I’ve got to say, this is a big thing for me personally. It goes in the opposite direction of what should be the core focus.
Ademo replied and stated that the page was being restructured to “promote cop blocks brand first and foremost.”
Has CopBlock.org suffered from mission creep? Is police accountability now secondary to the promotion of a brand?
Removing any principled groups from the Groups page will only stymie overall effectiveness. It matters not what branding is claimed by those involved. What is important is the spread of ideas.
After having almost gone into “law” enforcement, I know first hand the paradigm-shifting implications that can be had by simply being introduced to a new idea. In fact, I often told people that Cop Block was more an idea than anything – a phrase often followed by its corollary – that ideas have consequences.
As Julian Assange outlines in When Google Met Wikileaks, the potential of a decentralized network is huge:
What is happening is that these people are finding each other across the world and across states. We are creating our own computational network of human beings that can think the same way, that can trust each other on a point-to-point basis… an organization starts to form as these people start to find each other locally. As they discover each other they become optimized – that network of notes starts linking up and becoming more and more efficient at comprehending its environment, planning for action, and then acting.
What will be the fate of the Groups page at CopBlock.org?
Perhaps if enough feedback is received, Ademo will re-add the groups he removed. Or maybe further decentralization is a better solution, and the information below will be mirrored and continually updated by other website operators.
The strongest networks are the ones that eliminate single points of failure. CopBlock.org need not become such a point.
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Alabama
- Alabama Cop Block – Facebook / AlabamaCopBlock@groups.
facebook.com - Auburn Cop Block – Facebook
- Central Alabama Cop Block – Facebook
- Hoover Cop Block – hoovercopblock@gmail.com
- Southeast Alabama Cop Block – Facebook / website / sebamacopblock@yahoo.com
Alaska
- Alaska Cop Block – Facebook
Arizona
- Arizona Cop Block – Facebook
- AZ Maricopa Cop Block – Twitter
- Kingman Cop Block – Facebook / kingmancopblockers@gmail.com / P.O. Box #6693, Kingman, Arizona 86402
- Tucson Cop Block – Facebook / tucsoncopblock@gmail.com
Arkansas
- Arkansas Cop Block – Facebook / arcopblock@sbcglobal.net
- NWA COPBLOCK – website / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / admin@nwacopblock.org
California
- Bakersfield, CA Cop Block – Facebook
- Berkeley Cop Watch – Facebook
- Cop Block Clemson – Twitter
- Cop Block Fresno, CA – Facebook / Ustream
- Cop Block Imperial Valley – Facebook
- Cop Block Los Angeles – Facebook / copblockla@gmail.com
- Cop Block El Segundo – Facebook
- High Desert Cop Block – Facebook / highdesertcopblock@gmail.com
- Orange County Cop Block – Facebook / Twitter / occopblock@gmail.com
- Redwood Curtain Cop Watch – website / (707) 633-4493 / copwatchrwc@riseup.net
- San Diego Cop Block – Facebook
- Santa Ana Cop Watch – Facebook / cwsantaana@google.com
- Stockton Cop Block – Facebook
- Southbay Cop Block – Facebook
Colorado
- Colorado Springs Cop Block – Twitter
- CopBlock Colorado – Facebook
- Denver Cop Block – Facebook
- Rangely Cop Block – website / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / rangelycopblock@gmail.com
- West Colorado Cop Block – website / Twitter
- West Denver Cop Watch – website / (720) 369-2741 / westdenvercopwatch@riseup.net
Connecticut
- Connecticut Cop Block – website / Facebook / ctcopblock@gmail.com
- Manchester Cop Block – Twitter
- New Haven Cop Watch – website / Facebook / copwatch203@riseup.net
Delaware
No known groups [change that! scroll down to learn how to start a group]
Florida
- Charlotte County Florida Cop Watch – Facebook / Youtube / charlottecountyflcopwatch2@
gmail.com - Collier Cop Block – Facebook / Twitter / watchacopnaples@gmail.com
- CopBlock Cape Coral – Facebook
- Cop Block Central Florida – Facebook / Twitter / Youtube
- Cop Block Hernando – Facebook / Youtube / copblockhernando@gmail.com
- Florida Cop Watch – Facebook / Twitter
- Forgotten Coast Florida – Facebook
- Lake County Cop Block – Facebook / happyplanethydro352@yahoo.com
- Marion County Cop Watch – Facebook / mccopblock@gmail.com (read: Marion County Cop Block)
- Miami Cop Block – Facebook
- Ocala Cop Block – Facebook / ocalacopblock@gmail.com
- Orlando Cop Watch – website / Facebook
- Panhandle Cop Block – Facebook / Twitter / panhandlecopblock@gmail.com
- Pensacola Cop Block – Facebook / pensacolacopblock@gmail.com
- Sarasota Cop Block – Facebook
- South Florida Cop Block – website / Facebook / Youtube / Twitter / Bambuser / sfcopblock@gmail.com
- Tampa Bay Cop Watch – Facebook / Twitter / UStream / tampacopwatch@gmail.com
- Treasure Coast Cop Block – Facebook
Georgia
- East Atlanta Cop Watch – website / (678) 390-0393
- Forsyth County Cop Block – Facebook / Twitter / ForsythCountyCopBlock@gmail.com
- Georgia Cop Block – website / Facebook / Twitter / GeorgiaCopBlock@gmail.com
- Southeast Georgia Cop Block – Facebook
Hawaii
- Cop Block Hawaii – Facebook
Idaho
- Boise Cop Watch – website / Facebook
- Idaho CopBlock – website / Facebook / idahocopblock@gmail.com & northidahocopblock@gmail.com
Illinois
- Cop Block – Chicago – Facebook
- Cop Block Chicago Illinois – Facebook
- Cop Watch Central Illinois – Facebook / Twitter / Youtube / copwatchSPI@gmail.com
- CopBlock of South Chicago – website / Twitter
- Cop Block Northern Illinois – Facebook / Youtube
- South Suburban Cop Block – Facebook
- Southern Illinois Cop Block – Facebook / Twitter / Youtube /southernillinoiscopblock@gmail.com
Indiana
- Bloomington Cop Block – Facebook
- Cop Watch Indy – website / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube
- Evansville Cop Block – Facebook
- Fort Wayne Cop Block – Facebook
- Huntington Cop Block – Facebook / huntingtoncopblock.hcb@gmail.com
- Indianapolis Cop Block – Facebook / YouTube
- Johnson County – Facebook / Twitter / Bambuser / Jccopblock@gmail.com
- Lafayette Cop Block – Facebook
- Munice Cop Block – Facebook
- NW Indiana Copblock – Facebook
- Quad Counties CopBlock (Starke, Marshall, Pulaski, Fulton) – Facebook
- South Bend Cop Block – Facebook
- Southwest Indiana Cop Block – Facebook
- Terre Haute Cop Block – Facebook
Iowa
- Iowa Cop Block – Facebook
Kansas
- Kansas City Metro Cop Block – Facebook
- KCK Cop Block – Facebook
- MO/KS Cop Block – Bambuser / Facebook / YouTube / mokscopblock@gmail.com
- Northwest Kansas Cop Block – Facebook / bukubaddeath@gmail.com
- South East Kansas Cop Block – Facebook / sekansascopblock@yahoo.com
Kentucky
- Kentucky Cop Block – Facebook / kycopblock@gmail.com
- Louisville Cop Block – Facebook
- Northeastern Kentucky Cop Block – Facebook / northeasternkycopblock@gmail.
com - Prestonsburg Cop Block – Facebook / fratercorleonis@gmail.com
Louisiana
- Cop Block NOLA – Twitter
- Louisiana Cop Block – website / Twitter / louisiana.copblock@gmail.com
- Louisiana Cop Block – Facebook / Louisianacopblock318@yahoo.com
- New Orleans Cop Block – Facebook / Twitter
Maine
- Maine Cop Block –Facebook / mainecopblock@gmail.com
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
- Dearborn Cop Block – Facebook
- Jackson Cop Block – website / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / jacksoncopblock@gmail.com
- Metro Detroit Cop Block – Facebook
- Michigan Cop Block – Facebook
Minnesota
- Communities United Against Police Brutality – website
- Minnesota Cop Block – Facebook / Twitter / minnesotacopblock@gmail.com
Mississippi
- Mississippi Cop Block – Facebook
Missouri
- Central Missouri Copblock – Facebook / Twitter / centralmissouricopblock@gmail.com
- Kansas City Metro Cop Block – Facebook
- Lake of the Ozarks Cop Block – Facebook
- MO/KS Cop Block – Bambuser / Facebook / YouTube / mokscopblock@gmail.com
- North Missouri Cop Block – Facebook
- Southeast Missouri Copblock – Facebook / southeastmissouricopblock@gmail.com
- Southwest Missouri Cop Block – Facebook / Twitter / SouthwestMissouriCopBlock@
Gmail.com - St. Louis Cop Block – Facebook
Montana
Nebraska
- Eastern Nebraska Copblock – Facebook
Nevada
- Nevada Cop Block – website / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / nvcopblock@gmail.com (read: A big welcome to Nevada Cop Block!!)
- Reno Cop Block – Facebook
New Hampshire
- Keene Cop Block – website / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / keenecopblock@gmail.com
- Peaceful Streets – Manchester – website / Facebook
New Jersey
- No known groups
New Mexico
- Albuquerque Cop Block – Facebook / Twitter / albuquerquecopblock@gmail.com
- New Mexico Cop Block – Facebook / Twitter
- Police Complaints of Albuquerque – website / Facebook / mike@policecomplaints.info
New York
- Capital District New York Cop Block – Facebook / Youtube / Bambuser / capitaldistrictcopblock@gmail.
com - Cop Block – 5 Boroughs of New York – Facebook / Twitter / d85f0e23@opayq.com
- Cop Block Buffalo – Facebook
- Cop Block of Western New York – Facebook / Twitter/ YouTube / copblockwny@gmail.com
- Cop Block Long Island – Facebook
- Cop Block Suffolk NY – Facebook
- Harlem Cop Watch – website / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / info@allthingsharlem.com
- Peaceful Streets Project NYC – Facebook / website
- Syracuse Cop Block – Facebook / syracusecopblock@gmail.com
- Twin Tiers Cop Block – Facebook / twintierscopblock@gmail.com
North Carolina
- Carolinas Cop Block – website / Facebook / Twitter / info@carolinascopblock.org
- Charlotte Cop Block – Facebook
- North Carolina Cop Block – Facebook
North Dakota
No known groups
Ohio
- Akron Cop Block – Facebook
- Ashland County Cop Block – Facebook
- Beavercreek Cop Block – Facebook / BeavercreekCopBlock@gmail.com
- Belmont County Cop Block – Facebook / Youtube / Bambuser / BelmontCopBlock@gmail.com
- Canton Cop Block – Facebook
- Cincinnati Ohio Cop Block – Facebook
- Columbus Ohio Cop Block – Facebook
- Dayton Ohio Cop Block – Facebook
- Four Corners Cop Block – Facebook
- Greater Cleveland Ohio Cop Block – Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / greaterclevelandcopblock@gmail.com
- Lima – Allen County Cop Block – Facebook
- Northeast Ohio Cop Block – Facebook
- Ohio Cop Block – website / Facebook / YouTube (read: Ohio Cop Block)
- Peaceful Streets Project – Defiance – Facebook / Twitter
- Peaceful Streets Project – Sandusky – Facebook / Twitter / peacefulstreetsprojectsandusky@gmail.com
- Sandusky Ohio Cop Block – Facebook
- Toledo Cop Block – Facebook
- Van Wert Cop Block – website / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / vwcopblock@gmail.com
- Yellow Springs Cop Block – Facebook / YellowSpringsCopBlock@gmail.
com / P.O. Box 622, Yellow Springs, OH 45387 - Youngstown Cop Block – Facebook
Oklahoma
- Oklahoma Cop Block – Facebook / copblockokla@gmail.com
Oregon
- Cop Block Jackson County – Facebook
- Eugene Copwatch – Facebook / anahita.dalir@facebook.com
- Film The Police Portland – website / YouTube / Bambuser
- Gladstone Cop Block – Facebook
- Gresham Cop Block – Facebook / greshamcopblockoregon@gmail.
com - Oregon CopBlock – Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Bambuser / oregoncopblockers@gmail.com
- Portland Copwatch – website
- Rose City Cop Watch – website / (503) 715.1409 / info@rosecitycopwatch.org
Pennsylvania
- Cop Block Venango County – Facebook
- Harrisburg Cop Block – Facebook / harrisburgcopblock@gmail.com
- Lehigh Valley Cop Block – Facebook
- Pennsylvania Cop Block – Facebook
- Philadelphia Cop Block – Facebook / phlcopblock@gmail.com
- Pittsburgh CopBlock – Facebook
- State College Pa Cop Block – Facebook / SCPACopBlock@gmail.com
- Twin Tiers Cop Block – Facebook / twintierscopblock@gmail.com
- Waterford Cop Block – Facebook
- York, PA Cop Block – Twitter
- Warren County Cop Block – Facebook
Rhode Island
-
No known groups
South Carolina
- Carolinas Cop Block – website / Facebook / Twitter / info@carolinascopblock.org
- Cop Block South Carolina – Facebook
South Dakota
Tennessee
- Cop Block East Tennesee – Facebook
- Clarskville MSA Cop Block – Facebook / clarksvilletnkycopblock@gmail.com
- Elizabethon Cop Block – Facebook
- Tenneessee Peace Officer Accountability – Facebook
- Tricities CopBlock – Facebook / TNCopBlock@gmail.com (read: Announcing Tricities Coplock)
Texas
- Amarillo CopBlock – Facebook / YouTube
- Bryan/College Station Cop Block – Facebook
- Corrupt Frisco Texas Cops – Facebook
- Cop Watch El Paso – Facebook
- Dallas Cop Block – Facebook / YouTube / dallascopblock@gmail.com
- Houston Cop Block – Facebook / Youtube
- Lewisville Cop Block – Facebook / Youtube / lewisvillecopblock@gmail.com
- Mesquite Cop Block – website / Twitter
- North Texas Cop Block – Facebook
- Peaceful Streets Project – Austin – website / Facebook / peacefulstreets@gmail.com (read: Peaceful Streets Project is Leading the Way)
- Peaceful Streets Project – Houston – Facebook
- Texas Cop Block – Facebook / texascopblock@gmail.com
- White Settlement Cop Block – Facebook
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
- Cop Block Charlottesville – Facebook
- Fredericksburg Cop Block – Facebook
- Hampton Roads Cop Block – Facebook
- Northern Virginia Cop Block – Facebook / NorthernVirginiaCopBlock@
gmail.com - Petersburg VA Cop Block –Facebook
- Virginia Cop Block – website / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / vacopblock@gmail.com (read: Taking a Stand Against the Police State)
Washington
- Cop Block of Whidbey Island – Facebook
- Lewis County Cop Block – Facebook / lewiscountycopblock@gmail.com
- Seattle Cop Block – Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / seattlecopblock@gmail.com (read: Seattle Cop Block Has Been Launched!)
- Spokane Cop Block – Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / spokanecopblock@gmail.com (read: A Message from Spokane CopBlock Founder Adam Murray)
- Tacoma Cop Block – Facebook / Youtube / tacomawacopblock@gmail.com
- Yakima Cop Block – Facebook / yakimacopblock@gmail.com
Washington, D.C.
- DC Cop Block – Facebook
West Virginia
- Cop Block Keyser WV / Cumberland MD – Facebook
- Cop Block West Virginia – Facebook / copblockwv@gmail.com
- Huntington Cop Block – Facebook / Twitter / UStream / huntingtoncopblock@gmail.com
Wisconsin
- Appleton Cop Block – Facebook / YouTube / appletoncopblock@gmail.com
- Copwatch Madison – Facebook
- Jackson Cop Block – website / Twitter / Youtube / jacksoncopblock@gmail.com
- Milwaukee Cop Block – Facebook
- Sheboygan Copblock – website / Twitter / sheboygancopblock@gmail.com
- Waukesha Cop Block – Twitter / YouTube
Wyoming
No known groups
Canada
- Canada Cop Block – Facebook (read: Canada Cop Block)
- CopBlock Prince George BC – Facebook / copwatchpg@gmail.com
- Cop Block Calgary – Facebook
- Cop Block: Edmonton – Facebook / cop.block.edmonton@gmail.com
- Cop Watch Canada – Facebook
- Cop Block Montreal – Facebook
- Ontario Cop Block – website / Facebook
- Ontario Provincial Police Block – website / Facebook / Linkedin / Twitter / YouTube / opp.block@gmail.com
- Ottawa Cop Block – Facebook / Twitter
- Vancouver Cop Block – Twitter
- Winnipeg Cop Watch – website
- Yarmouth Cop Block – Facebook
Europe
- CopBlock UK – Facebook
- Cop Block Denmark – Facebook / copblockdenmark@gmail.com
- Cop Block Europe – Facebook
- Cop Block Greece – Facebook
- Cop Block Holland – Facebook
- Cop Block The Netherlands – Facebook
- Impunity of the Police (Poland) – website / redakcja@bezkarnoscpolicji.info
Middle East
Oceania
- Australia Cop Block – Facebook
- Cop Block of New Zealand – Facebook
- New Zealand Police Corruption Association – Facebook
Other