Pull Over Prevention (POP) is an effort to empower motorists – especially people of color and immigrants in our community – to avoid unsafe discriminatory interactions with law enforcement.
Police and immigration officers use minor automotive issues as reasons to stop, search, fine, and deport people. POP volunteers provide repair and advice for these issues, share repair skills, and promote access to local resources. We host Pull Over Prevention Clinics & Mutual Aid Fairs in Ypsilanti and the surrounding area.
As POP has grown, a number of other organizations have decided to set up shop with us. Including the Health Department, SE Michigan Legal Services, Pet Pals Mutual Aid & the Ypsilanti Tenants Union. More like minded organizations are welcome to reach out to see if we have space for you to setup.
Events
Contact
Email us at [email protected].
About
Why
Pull Over Prevention is our direct response to the police brutalization of Black individuals and forced deportations of immigrants. Our effort also confronts the systemic oppression of people of color through harsh punishment and steep fines for minor crimes. POP aims to bring our community together to mitigate and oppose the injustices that law enforcement inflicts on us.
We know these injustices occur because we’ve seen them firsthand, in Ypsilanti and Metro Detroit. Police target Black motorists for minor offenses, making them vulnerable to officers who are more responsible for escalating violence during traffic stops. Michigan State Police has also admitted that Black people account for 25% of traffic stops in Washtenaw County despite only being 12% of the population. Immigrants live in danger of deportation orders, which are often justified using past traffic tickets. Meanwhile, in a year of global protests against police brutality, the state of Michigan has done little to change policing.
As long as the racist and classist institution of policing exists, POP volunteers will work outside their systems of oppression to truly protect and serve our community.
How
Through POP, we aim to build a community of mutual aid and solidarity, so we can avoid confrontations with law enforcement and render them unnecessary.
Providing automotive repair is only one of the ways we want to do this. We foster relationships where friends and neighbors help each other. We organize volunteer mechanics to share their skills with motorists and other volunteers. We partner with democratic grassroots organizations to promote access to their resources.
Our ideas aren’t new! We drew inspiration the DSA New Orleans Direct Service Committee, who have hosted Brake Light Clinics since 2017 and published Gimme a Brake! (Light): A DIY Guide.
Who
Pull Over Prevention is supported by the Huron Valley Democratic Socialists of America (HVDSA), Peace House Ypsi, and The Mutual Aid Network of Ypsilanti (The MANY). We started POP in July 2020, following the murder of George Floyd by police.
Give help
There are numerous ways you can sustain and grow the mission of POP, with ways to contribute your time, resources, or money.
Volunteer
We need mechanics! If you’re a professional, hobbyist, curious, or retired mechanic, you can help make POP Clinics possible. If you might know a mechanic, please let them know about POP.
We need interpreters! Spanish and Arabic speakers often approach us for help. If you know someone who speaks a language other than English, either natively or fluently, please send them our way.
POP Clinics also need volunteers to feed people, greet attendees, care for children, and promote the events. If you’re able to offer any amount of time, we need you!
If you’ve gotten help from POP in the past, we especially welcome you to volunteer with us.
For volunteer opportunities, contact us.
Supply us
We accept non-monetary donations at our events, such as:
- Food and beverages, to feed attendees and volunteers
- Drawing materials, educational materials, and toys, to care for children of attendees
- Print materials related to human and immigrant rights, to inform attendees
- We may also accept other items (such as winter clothing) to give away to attendees, depending on the event.
Please feel free to contact us to coordinate your donation. Or visit our Instagram & Facebook for details.
Organize your own repair clinics
We want to share the knowledge and experience we’ve gained to organizers who want an automotive repair clinic in their community. Contact us with your questions!
We also want to refer you to Gimme a Brake! (Light): A DIY Guide, a publication by the DSA New Orleans Direct Service Committee. They are one of our initial inspirations for POP.
Change minds
Although a free car repair program can grow communal solidarity and protect the people who are able to reach us, it cannot fully reverse the harms that policing inflicts on our community. Unless we build alternatives law enforcement will continue to terrorize marginalized people in Washtenaw County and Metro Detroit.
Talk with your friends and family about how law enforcement oppresses and fails to uplift people where you live. Call your government representatives and demand more resources for your community instead of police. Check out resources like this. Help build public consciousness and willpower to change our current systems, so working class, people of color and immigrants can live in peace.
Donate money
If you have the means, we welcome your monetary donations online and at our events. We use donations to stock up on automotive parts and food at our events. All donations are tax deductible!