For nearly three decades, the Pentagon’s 1033 Program has encouraged domestic police units to behave like soldiers of war by funneling $7.4 BILLION worth of military equipment — bomb suits, drones, shock cuffs, rifles, facial recognition technology, forced entry tools, land mine resistant vehicles (MRAPs), helicopters, and tear gas — to our communities.
1033 perpetuates institutionalized racism, Islamophobia, and xenophobia by contributing to the “warrior cop” mentality that pits police against Black and Brown communities. We’ve seen this everywhere from the “war on drugs” to the police response to last summer’s protests in the wake of George Floyd’s killing.
That’s why critical legislation like the Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act has been introduced to rein in and ultimately end 1033 by urgently needed transparency and oversight measures that ensure our communities won’t be transformed into a warzone with “gifts” of grenade launchers and high-caliber rifles.
But without support in the Senate, this legislation won’t go anywhere. We need to get as many Senators on board as possible — and we need to do it fast. Will you add your name to urge your Senators to end 1033 now?