The Senate is finally talking about stopping the flow of weapons of war
from the Pentagon into our communities.

We know they won’t take action unless we push them: call on Congress now
to end the military-to-police equipment pipeline that puts our democracy
in danger.

[ [link removed] ] Sign the petition 

   
John,

With militarized police beating back peaceful protests in cities across
the US, a program that sends tanks, grenade launchers and tear gas to
local police departments is finally in the spotlight.

It’s about time. Scenes of American police wearing military grade body
armor and riding in mine resistant tanks through our streets have shocked
the world. It doesn’t look like democracy.

But now we have a chance to shut down this disgrace! A bill just
introduced in the Senate that would stop weapons of war from going to
local police departments is quickly picking up bipartisan support. But
without a major push on the streets and online, it could stall out.

That’s where we come in -- a storm of citizens ringing the alarm and
calling on Congress to end this dangerous, anti-democratic policy! Sign
now, and stay tuned for more ways to take action:

[ [link removed] ]SIGN TO STOP THE PENTAGON TO POLICE PIPELINE

Over the years the innocuous sounding “1033 Program” has allowed the
Pentagon to sell or give away more than $7 billion dollars worth of
equipment to law enforcement agencies, from armored vehicles, silencers,
bayonets to stun grenades! President Obama restricted it in 2014, after
the uprising against police violence in Ferguson was brutally repressed --
but during his first year in office Trump reactivated it. 

Military grade weapons and material started flooding our police
departments again.

Study after study shows that heavily militarized cops don’t reduce crime.
They’re also terrible for our democracy! In recent weeks peaceful
protesters demanding justice for Black lives were treated as “enemy
combatants" nationwide -- making it easy for an aspiring autocrat like
Trump to unleash violence on us all. In a shocking call to governors that
was leaked to The New York Times, the president called on governors and
the military to “dominate” protestors. 

The militarization of our police has been going on too long. And in the
middle of a national conversation about the murder of unarmed Black
Americans and defunding the police, the minimum we can do is demand an end
to arming local police like soldiers for battle.

Enough. Call on Congress to end this dangerous program today:

[ [link removed] ]SIGN THE PETITION

This urgent campaign is part of a new effort called Ring The Alarm -- a
growing community of everyday Americans working together to call out
growing authoritarianism, violent white nationalism and out-of-control
police militarization in the US. Stay tuned for more, because this is just
the beginning. Saving our democracy from creeping authoritarianism
requires all of us!



[ [link removed] ] Sign the petition 



Thanks for all that you do,
Vicky and the team at SumOfUs


More information:

[ [link removed] ]Ring the alarm 

[ [link removed] ]How police departments got billions of dollars of tactical military
equipment. MARKETPLACE. 12 July 2020. 

[ [link removed] ]Senators push to limit transfer of military-grade equipment to
police. The Hill. 

29 June 2020.

[ [link removed] ]Militarization has fostered a policing culture that sets up protesters
as ‘the enemy’. The Conversation. 2 June 2020. 

[ [link removed] ]Why does the Minneapolis police department look like a military unit?.
The Washington Post. 28 May 2020. 

 

 

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