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City officials have secretly been considering allowing a private company to fly “spyplanes" over St. Louis. This company is touting these planes—which were developed for the Air Force in Iraq—for their ability to solve crimes through mass surveillance. Yes, you heard that right: City of St. Louis officials are attempting to sell out our civil and privacy rights for military-grade equipment capable of capturing images of the whole city every second of the day. As we know all too well in St. Louis, surveillance is frequently used to track, censor, and criminalize those in the most vulnerable communities among us.
No one in the United States of America should be forced to forfeit their civil liberties, especially for a corporation’s profit. Since we protested the deaths of Michael Brown and Anthony Lamar Smith, local police have continued to deploy practices which openly target black and brown communities. Only last month, we lost Atatiana Jefferson. I fear the ways military surveillance could be used against the people I love, and I’m not the only one. Unfortunately, my opponent supports arming police departments with military equipment of this very nature. I joined many in my community and became an activist to fight back against abusive police power. I know we can address crime at the root of its diverse causes, instead of by putting millions of Americans behind bars.
I’m running because I know that people across my district, state, and this country deserve better than this. Would you like to know how you can you stand with me to actually keep our communities safe?
1. Forward this pledge to anyone you know who is running for US Congress.
2. Read our Op-Ed on Medium to learn more, and share on social media to increase public pressure against this disturbing news.
3. Sign up to attend our Prison Reform Town Hall where we will be discussing inhumane conditions, assault and negligence from both the formerly incarcerated and activists who are working locally for prison reform.
From City Hall to Capitol Hill, we need real leaders who know that military weapons and technologies in our communities will never bring us justice. Investing in ourselves and our communities is the only way to achieve true public safety.
In Solidarity,
Cori
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Copyright © 2019 Cori Bush for Congress, All rights reserved. Paid for by the Cori Bush for Congress campaign
Our mailing address is: 75 North Oaks Plaza, St Louis, Mo, 63121 |
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