When police intervene in situations involving youth, ranging from loitering and petty crimes to more severe violence, police involvement typically sets off a chain of events that can have far-reaching effects on a young person’s life.

Chain Reaction is a participatory research and popular education project with the goal of supporting conversations about alternatives to calling police on young people.

Listen to audio or watch videos that feature youth in Chicago telling their own stories about policing, or check out out their toolkit of other resources and curriculum.

1. What is the chain reaction that we would ideally like to create in response to fear, violence, or harm?

2. What resources do we already have in our communities to begin this chain reaction?

3. What alternatives to calling police exist for those considering relying on police interventions with young people?

4. What alternatives would we like to create?