In this moment of uprising in response to the multiple crises unfolding across the country and world—particularly police violence against black people—it is imperative that we continue to demand what keeps our communities safe. Trans women and femmes of color (TWOC) have been historically excluded from the formal 1 workforce and forced to rely on criminalized work for survival. Such economic violence leads to police targeting and incarceration. Organizing over the past five years has begun to open up economic opportunities for trans women and femmes of color. We won’t go back. This is the time to fight to maintain and surpass those gains.

Over the past 50 years, radical Black organizations have consistently demanded community control of the police. The idea behind this demand is that those most impacted by oppressive policing should have the power to decide how the system operates in their own communities, and that community control of police would transform the force from an occupier into a partner (or bring truth to idea that the police “protect and serve”)

Many people now know that women are the fastest growing prison and jail populations. Here’s a helpful factsheet on how we can Interrupt the Criminalization of Women, Trans and Gender Nonconforming People.

In response to the expanding criminalization of reproductive autonomy through increasing restrictions on abortion and reproductive care, and the growing criminalization of pregnant people and parents, a group of reproductive justice and anti-criminalization organizers and advocates came together in May 2019 to develop a shared analysis and resistance strategies.

Despite the specific origins of “me too.” in conversations among Black women and girls, Black women and girls’ stories, narratives, and experiences remain largely at the margins of mainstream #MeToo conversations.

This report is an urgent call for a comprehensive philanthropic response to the growing crisis of criminalization.