Ep. 124 - The Wrap Up: "No Cop Academy: The Documentary" (2023) ft. Debbie Southorn & Destiny Harris

BrownTown debriefs"No Cop Academy: The Documentary" (2023) with campaign organizers, interviewees, and producer/curator of the film, Debbie Southorn and Destiny Harris. The team reunites to discuss the creation, process, and impact of the one-hour SoapBox-produced film and the #NoCopAcademy campaign more broadly. The adult-supported, youth directed coalition and campaign from 2017-2019 was a grassroots effort demanding the city of Chicago stop the construction of a then-$95 million dollar cop academy in West Garfield Park and fund youth and communities instead. The city ultimately decided to move forward with the project, however, the lessons learned and strategies seeded would prove fruitful for future campaigns in Chicago and movements across the country. The gang unpacks how Chicago youth changed the organizing landscape and movement media supported in naming, framing, and resisting power, both forging a path to the city's current political moment. BrownTown and guests compare and contrast the struggles of the late 2010's to what our movements are up against in this new fascist reality. Originally recorded October 2025.“The Wrap Up” which invites collaborators and community partners to take a behind the scenes look at SoapBox films, unpacking the nuts and bolts while thinking more deeply about power, struggle, and storytelling. Let’s get meta!Screen No Cop Academy: The Documentary here. Stay tuned for the film available on streaming in 2026!GUESTSDebbie Southorn was a lead adult organizer in the #NoCopAcademy campaign and producer of the film. She co-founded the Chicago chapter of Black & Pink in 2012, has been involved in and supported numerous efforts through her work at American Friends Service Committee, and is currently serving as the Director of Organizational Development at Dissenters. Follow Debbie on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.Destiny Harris is a Black, queer educator, writer, poet, abolitionist and anti-imperialist organizer from the West Side of Chicago. She is an Alumna of Howard University who believes in the power of art and grassroots organizing as a vehicle to achieving liberation throughout the diaspora. She is currently the Chicago Peacebuilding Program Associate at American Friends Service Committee. Destiny also was an interviewee in the film and created corresponding educational material. Follow Destiny on Instagram and Facebook.Learn all about the campaign at NoCopAcademy,.com, the film at SoapBoxPO.com/NoCopAcademy, and peep the Linktree for any film updates. Follow the campaign/film on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Mentioned in episode:Related #NoCopAcademy episodesEp. 11 - Intersectionality, etc. ft. RubyEp. 26 - Coalition-building ft. Debbie & MonicaEp. 54 - #CopsOutCPS ft. Vero & AshaBONUS - #NoCopTOBER ft. Freedom#NoCopTOBER#CopsOutCPSBIG shoutout to by Sarah-Ji of Love and Struggle Photos who documented much of the campaign!Tom Callahan, filmmaker/creator of Sensitive Visuals--CREDITS: Intro soundbites from news and campaign audio curated by Kassandra Borah; outro music King’s Dead Remix. Poster by Citlali Perez. Audio engineered by Kassandra Borah. Production assistance by Jamie Price.--Bourbon ’n BrownTownFacebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | PatreonSoapBox Productions and Organizing, 501(c)3Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Support