Why Inviting Police Into Our Movements Is More Dangerous Than Ever

Across Southwest Florida, organizers are gearing up for rallies, marches, and community events. These moments matter. They are chances for working people, immigrants, women, queer and trans folks, and Black and brown communities to raise their voices in public and demand change.

But recent conversations around upcoming events in Fort Myers have spurred a deeper concern: the trend of inviting law enforcement into movement spaces. It’s not just a local issue. Across the country, organizers are being told in trainings—sometimes branded as “safety workshops”—that they should work in tandem with their local police departments. The message is simple: if you want your protest to be safe, cooperate with the cops.

That advice is dangerously wrong.

Florida’s 287(g) Reality

Here in Florida, nearly every sheriff in the state has signed onto 287(g) agreements with ICE. This means local deputies and officers are not simply “keeping the peace”—they are deputized extensions of federal immigration enforcement. They have the authority and incentive to funnel immigrant neighbors into detention and deportation proceedings.

When local organizers choose to collaborate with police, they are opening the door to surveillance, intimidation, harassment, and family separation. That risk is not theoretical. It is built into the policy structure of Florida law enforcement.

For Latina activists, Black and brown youth, immigrant families, and LGBTQ+ participants, simply attending an event with visible law enforcement presence can mean exposure to racial profiling, arrest, or deportation.

The Myth of “Safety Through Police”

Some movement leaders argue that police presence deters chaos. But history tells a different story. From Ferguson to Standing Rock, law enforcement has often escalated violence—deploying militarized tactics against peaceful demonstrators.

In Florida today, with the chilling impact of SB 1718 still rippling through immigrant communities, inviting law enforcement into marches or rallies only deepens fear and suppresses turnout. When people are already deciding whether speaking out is worth the risk of losing their families, the presence of law enforcement tips the balance against participation.

The result: the people most impacted by injustice are silenced, while events are made more comfortable for those least at risk.

A Local Flashpoint

This conversation isn’t theoretical. In Fort Myers, activists have raised alarms about a Women’s March event where organizers have chosen to collaborate with police. Community members are asking a critical question: how can we claim to march for justice while working side by side with the very systems endangering our neighbors?

The truth is, these decisions matter. They don’t just shape how one event plays out—they set a precedent for how future actions are organized. If we normalize police collaboration, we normalize immigrant families staying home out of fear. We normalize BIPOC communities being surveilled at the very gatherings meant to defend their rights.

What True Safety Looks Like

Movements have always been capable of creating safety without police. We have tools:

• Community marshals trained to de-escalate and hold space.

• Street medics to respond to health needs.

• Legal observers to document misconduct.

• Buddy systems to keep people connected and accounted for.

• Rapid-response networks to support those targeted.

These are not luxuries. They are the real infrastructure of safety—one that keeps power in the hands of the community, not the state.

A Call to Organizers

If you are leading a protest, rally, or march in Florida—or anywhere across this country—understand this: inviting police into your spaces is not a neutral act. It is an act that exposes the very people you claim to protect.

Trainings that tell us to collaborate with law enforcement ignore the lived realities of Black, brown, immigrant, and queer communities. They ignore the 287(g) agreements that bind local law enforcement to ICE. They ignore the fact that safety for some is not safety for all.

Our movements are strongest when they center the voices and safety of the most marginalized. That means building our own systems of protection and making it clear: we do not need, and will not collaborate with, law enforcement to exercise our rights.