Bulletin on U.S. Domestic Militarization #2

In February, the “Bulletin on U.S. Domestic Militarization” replaced “The 1033 Monthly.” This iteration of the newsletter aims to provide a broader look at militarization in the United States, of which the U.S. Department of Defense’s 1033 program plays a role.

On April 18, four members of the African People’s Socialist Party (APSP) were indicted on espionage charges. The Black Alliance for Peace (BAP) recently released a statement, highlighting the “assault on the efforts of Africans organizing against the violence and murders suffered at the hands of the U.S. state.” That has been made plain with the attack on those who dare to speak out against the U.S. empire. The U.S. state continues to develop 21st-century COINTELPRO tactics against organizers to sustain its fearmongering, particularly against African/Black radical formations.

Despite the radical rhetoric of establishment figures during the summer 2020 uprisings, domestic militarism has ramped up. Fortunately, Philadelphia organizers’ significant victory in eradicating the U.S. Department of Defense’s 1033 program following a recent lawsuit against the city indicates we must continue to sustain BAP’s umbrella campaign, “No Compromise, No Retreat: Defeat the War Against African/Black People in the U.S. and Abroad.” The efforts of BAP-Atlanta members in the Stop Cop City movement are a testament to how much BAP must persist in organizing for our demands.

BAP’s Research and Political Education Team hopes this installment of the “Bulletin on U.S. Domestic Militarization,” and the organizing efforts underway, reveal the promise around BAP’s effort to end the 1033 program.

MILITARIZATION NEWS

Philadelphia Will Pay $9M to Settle George Floyd Protesters’ Suit Over Brutality
March 21, 2023, Truthout

• Protesters were awarded nearly $10 million in a lawsuit against the city of Philadelphia for police violence during the course of the 2020 summer uprisings

• Part of this settlement included the dissolution of the 1033 program from Philadelphia’s police department

• Earlier in March, New York City also paid out a minimum of $21,500 to about 320 protesters from the 2020 summer uprisings

It’s Time to End the Outrageous Militarization of America’s Police Force
February 21, 2023, by Katrina vanden Heuvel, The Nation

• A short editorial piece exploring the significance of ending militarization of U.S. law enforcement

• Goes over the historical development of the 1033 program, including the various reforms instituted under the Obama and Trump administrations

• Highlights the efforts of organizers, such as from a group called Decarcerate Memphis, in efforts to remove 1033 in the Tennessee city

ADDITIONAL NEWS

• Police dept in Georgia gets Humvee vehicle in case of flooding

• Denver Students for a Democratic Society puts pressure on administration to vote to demilitarize campus police

• Do police need military weapons?

No Compromise, No Retreat!
Research and Political Education Team
Black Alliance for Peace

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Banner photo: Protesters faced off with police during a demonstration Oct. 27, 2020, in Philadelphia. Hundreds of demonstrators marched in West Philadelphia over the death of Walter Wallace Jr., an African/Black who was killed by city police. Community members said there is a well-documented past of the police department’s racial discrimination and brutality against the African/Black population. (Michael Perez/The Associated Press)