In reaction to today’s failure by the House to advance an NDAA amendment to ban military weapons from being transferred to civilian law enforcement agencies, Oxfam America’s Humanitarian Policy Lead Noah Gottschalk said,
“We are extremely disappointed that the House has failed today to take decisive action to ban even the most extreme weapons of war from being sent to our communities under the Pentagon’s 1033 Program. It is now up to the Senate to do the right thing, as it considers a bipartisan amendment of its own this week to address this crucial demand of protesters across the country.
“The flow of military weapons to civilian police forces through the 1033 Program has been fueling human rights abuses against Black people and other communities of color in the US for years – and in recent weeks the images of these weapons being used against peaceful protesters have gone viral. Police departments and school districts simply do not need grenade launchers, tear gas, and armored vehicles to protect, serve and educate.
“The militarization of the police, our schools, and our communities needs to end, and the Senate now has a vital opportunity to begin to address a system steeped in violence and white supremacy by reimagining policing and community protection across the US.”