The 1033 Monthly #9

It has been a few months since the Uhuru House of the African People’s Socialist Party was raided by the FBI in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Black Alliance for Peace (BAP) has vehemently condemned this assault on one of our movement allies. We recognize at BAP that this FBI search is only the beginning of further state assaults on those engaging in principled, radical, African, anti-imperialist organizing. The absurd loopholes and justifications the state will come up with to disrupt Africans mobilizing the masses will only continue as more people get politicized.

We as radical Black people engaged in struggle must be conscious of how the state will stifle our politics. This newest edition of the 1033 Monthly Newsletter gives some historical insight into how the 1033 program was (partially) justified in 1997, along with some recent updates surrounding efforts to curtail the 1033 program’s distribution of heavy-duty military weapons. Please continue to share and distribute the newsletter to help bring more widespread recognition to this violent government initiative. Also, tap into our resource page to learn about how you can get your area to stop participating in the 1033 program.

No Compromise, No Retreat!

How the North Hollywood Shootout Led to the Now-Controversial 1033 Program

• This article discusses the historical trajectory of how the 1033 program was incentivized to be created

• On February 28, 1997, two civilian bank robbers outgunned LAPD for 44 minutes after attempting to steal around $300,000 from a North Hollywood Bank of America branch

• The fallout from the events of the shootout led to the National Defense Authorization Act of 1997 to include section 1033, which established what we know as the 1033 program

• State justification of possible threats of such unlikely events facilitates the very real daily surveillance of Black people and other marginalized groups

Pressley Calls on Biden to Stop Allowing Military Weapons to Go to Police

• Several house representatives, along with a few senators, sent a letter to the Biden administration calling for the curtailing of the 1033 program

• These legislators are calling for implementing Section 12 of the new Executive Order 14074, which could restrict the types of military equipment that would get transferred, including firearms and ammunitions of 0.50 calibers or higher, firearm silencers, grenade launchers, and other forms of equipment

• Unclear to what extent this letter has been received by the executive branch, much less do we know whether any of this could be implemented

Additional Stories:

• How Columbus plans to “demilitarize” its police department

• The Hidden Militarization of the United States

• San Antonio Police Department gets an armored vehicle - with some council resistance

Banner photo: An armored Hollywood SWAT vehicle parked on the street behind an HPD SUV (courtesy of grunge.com, Felix Mizioznikov / Shutter stock)

The 1033 Monthly #8

Since January 2021, more than $106M in combat gear has been transferred to Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs). Formally signed into law in 1997 as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the 1033 Program continues to haunt working-class and colonized folks in the U.S. The program administered by the Department of Defense fosters a culture of militarism in law enforcement agencies that lead to an increase in violent behavior among officers. The more weapons transferred, the more deadly the encounters with armed agents of the state. SWAT team raids were originally practiced on low-level offenders and today, militarized gear via 1033 such as MRAPs are used to serve simple arrest warrants. Since the start of the year, police have killed 366 people with 28% of those victims being Black folks.

In New York City, Mayor Eric Adams’ 2022 budget proposes cuts to every department except the police. This is despite the fact that the NYPD already has a larger budget than that of Ukraine’s military. Alongside revamping the anti-gun unit, Adams is considering using Israeli drones to further terrorize the local population under the guise of fighting crime. The drones cost $70,000 to $100,000 per piece, a sum which can be used towards social programs but instead is potentially going towards further militarization of the state. With Biden increasing police budgets on a federal level and local LEAs such as the NYPD possessing a budget of $10.4 billion, it is clear that right-wing democrats are dedicated to war abroad and domestically with no relief for the working-class in sight.

Florence Police Department suspended from federal government equipment program

• Following a surprise audit by the state coordinator, Florence PD in Colorado was suspended for failing to show $6,745 of equipment acquired through the 1033 Program

• Suspension to take place for only 60 days

• Although this likely came from a misunderstanding or lack of simple failure to produce the equipment on time, this suspension comes following more recent calls by residents and former city council members to withdraw from the program

• It is unclear as to the state of the program following this suspension, but Florence PD is likely to continue using equipment

Study: Militarizing police doesn’t reduce crime

• Re-sharing of 2020 study published by LSU and Emory that confirmed with significant evidence that police militarization through the 1033 Program does not reduce crime

• Emory Professor Tom Clark succinctly noted that “The most important thing for policy makers and the public to know is that you can’t justify giving surplus military equipment to police departments on the grounds it will lead to a reduction in crime.”

• Research also concluded that further militarization had also led to worse relationships between citizens and police, as well as making the job less safe for cops

Additional Stories:

• Plymouth County (Iowa) Sheriffs request more militarized vehicles

• Editorial: County Sheriff Suspected of Offering ‘Bounty’ for Arrest of Political Rival

Banner photo: A Police officer with an assault rifle watches protesters from an armored vehicle. (Ricardo Arduengo/Getty Images)

The 1033 Monthly #7

Joe Biden and the right-wing Democrats have declared war on the working-class and colonized people of the U.S. After the rebellions that took place all over the world in the summer of 2020 in response to the lynching of George Floyd, many activists organized around either defunding or abolishing the police. Delivering his State of the Union address on March 1, 2022, Joe Biden said “The answer is not to defund the police. It’s to fund the police. Fund them. Fund them.” Nevermind that at least a quarter of USians were in favor of defunding the police. Nor that U.S. police have shot and killed at least 1,055 people in 2021 alone. The message is clear—the ruling class will not allow their security apparatus to be disarmed nor are they willing to divert those funds towards social programs to benefit marginalized communities.

The war currently taking place in Ukraine with Russia has many citizens in the West urging the U.S. to arm Ukrainians and intervene in the conflict directly or through NATO. What that means is that taxpayer dollars will enrich weapons contractors like Raytheon and Lockheed Martin and any relevant surplus weaponry will make its way back to the U.S., and into the hands of local and state police via the Department of Defense’s 1033 program. We reject the notion of escalating conflict abroad through material support from the military-industrial complex as well as for the domestic occupying force that we call the police here in the states.

Hawaii bill would limit state participation in federal programs to militarize police

• Senator Stanley Chang (D) is pushing Senate Bill 2239 which would restrict state and local law enforcement from acquiring specific military equipment, including weaponized drones, military rifles, grenade launchers, and other items

• Biden has yet to reinstate any restrictions or oversight that was previously in place for the 1033 program under the Obama administration (which itself was minimal in its enforcement)

• The bill needs to pass through the Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs Committee to proceed

San Diego Police to adopt new rules for use of military-style equipment

• SDPD released new guidelines for funding and acquisition of military equipment in their force, which will be set for approval by the city council in the near future

• In September of 2021, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB481, which mandates law enforcement agencies have to receive approval from their mayors/city councils to use military equipment in their jurisdictions

• SDPD does not participate in 1033 according to city officials, but AB481 also oversees how law enforcement agencies are allowed to participate in the program

Additional Stories:

• Hawai’i Sen. Schatz calls for President Biden to take steps to demilitarize the police

• More police on campus won’t prevent gun violence

Banner photo: Santa Cruz County Sheriff's SWAT team members (right) get help from Santa Cruz Police in searching for a suspect in a shooting on Riverside Road at Blackburn Street in Watsonville. (Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian file)