by Billy O'Leary

Copwatch is a grassroots organization which seeks to curb police brutality by confronting it as it occurs in the streets. Its goals include educating the public on their rights when dealing with the police, documenting police behavior with video cameras as a means of discouraging misconduct, encouraging people to settle their differences without the help of the police, and encouraging accountability through community control of the police.

Copwatch bases its outreach program on the Arts & Revolution concept that artistic expression plays an important role in all aspects of our lives, including political education. By incorporating art into demonstrations, groups can make political themes more accessible to people who are unfamiliar with activism. Street theater, giant puppets, banners, juggling, fire-eating, dance, and music are all ways that groups incorporate artistic expression into their work.

In addition to weekly patrols of heavily policed areas, Austin Copwatch programs a bi-monthly radio show on KOOP Radio, coordinates and participates in demonstrations, and organizes educational presentations for Austin citizens.

Video is by far the most important media available to Copwatch. The presence of a camera during weekly patrols discourages violation of a person's rights while documenting police conduct, good or bad. Street skits and puppet shows also present alternative methods of empowerment, as members act out various models for interaction with police. Performative instruction brings the immediacy of issues to the audience and encourages them to become involved.

Through humor, comedy skits relieve the tensions arising from the ambiguities of police authority. At a recent courthouse demonstration, for example, Copwatch began an impromptu performance critiquing the criminal justice system. A judge stood on a retaining wall with a giant gavel, while two rogue police officers who committed mock felonies against onlookers were brought to court and acquitted or handed down misdemeanors.

While signs are the most obvious form of expression at demonstrations, giant puppets -- operated by multiple people -- are also effective in getting a point across. For the organization's first anniversary, Austin Copwatch members constructed papier-mâché marionettes to put on an awareness-raising puppet show based on the fairy tale Peter and the Wolf. Officer Harry Wolfe meets Pato, a young Chicano, and Peter, a young African-American male. When Peter sees his friend Pato gunned down, he draws on his legal savvy and wit to bring the Wolfe to justice. Peter succeeds and the officer is taken to jail in a procession of outraged demonstrators.

If you would like Copwatch to present at your school or community center, or if you would like more information, please email austincopwatch@usa.net.