The 1033 Monthly #5

Last month, several states gathered together for the UN Climate Summit known as the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26). Amidst the lackluster responses and negligible commitments by imperialist states during the conference, there were no plans to discuss the impact militaries across the globe have in their massive emissions rates. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi dodged a question from journalist Abby Martin during the conference about the Pentagon contributing more carbon emissions than 140 other countries.

The justification of using the military and law enforcement in efforts to help defend against the climate crisis is not only hypocritical, but also a necessary part of how the state justifies the utilization of the 1033 Program. This month’s newsletter highlights a recent investigation by reporters at the HuffPost, which found that nearly all requests for military equipment in recent years by law enforcement groups justified these vehicles and supplies as a part of their role in climate disaster mitigation.

We know that the military terrorizing oppressed peoples abroad, and much less the police terrorizing our communities here in the US, are not interested in addressing the climate crisis. Only we as Africans, in solidarity with our other marginalized comrades, organizing for our collective liberation, will facilitate a sustainable future. No compromise, no retreat.

In solidarity,

Rhamier & Noah

1033 leads for the Research & Political Education Team

Police Increasingly Cite Climate Disasters When Seeking Military Gear, Documents Show

• The Jackson County Sheriff’s office claimed that a new MRAP (Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected) vehicle in 2014 for Iowa City would be used to facilitate rescue missions from extreme weather events

• In actuality, the MRAP vehicle was utilized during the 2020 Summer uprisings when officers teargassed protestors and was also used to conduct arrest raids in a predominately Black neighborhood

• In recent years (article covered 2017-2018), nearly all of the claims by law enforcement offices to get support for military-grade equipment included mention of combatting climate disasters whereas in prior years there was almost no note of it

• Law enforcement agencies are justifying their existence in this time particularly for disaster preparedness, and there are no regulations to ensure that these groups only use vehicles and other equipment just for these reasons

Demilitarize the Police

• Brennan Center for Justice reviewed the historical relationship the militarization of the police has had on citizens

• The creation of the 1033 Program helped facilitate the continued war on drugs during the era of the crime bill

• The coinciding of acquiring military equipment, but also more obviously adopting fascist attitudes that we also witness abroad, is what enables police to continue further militarization

Additional Stories:

• Bill would add local oversight when police get military gear

• APD surrenders some military equipment as part of city resolution, memo says

• Cops are exploiting the climate crisis to get armored cars

(Banner Photo: Line of police officers with batons and camo. Photo courtesy of katesheets.)

The 1033 Monthly #4

Despite the increase of Black law enforcement agents over the years, the racist structure of law enforcement agencies in the United States has remained the same. As part of the continued effort to protect property and capital, we see an increase of funding of local and state police departments in cities where Black democrats are the mayors and chiefs of police. 

It’s no coincidence that the government has decided to fund the police given the collective wealth of the ruling class has increased by 40% over the course of the pandemic. Meanwhile, many working class folks are being forced to risk their health to go back to work. Since January of this year, $77 million in military equipment has been sent to U.S. police departments across the country. 

In order to understand the power and influence law enforcement has on politics today, we should look at police unions. Afterall, it was the National Association of Police Organizations who lobbied to secure an outcome that favored the police instead of tax paying citizens when Biden was expected to bring back the Obama administration’s reformist limitations on 1033 earlier this year. Additionally, last month The House had a chance to effectively end the 1033 program, but failed to do so. 

Today, the Fraternal Order of Police remains one of the most powerful police unions in the country. Political candidates who run for public office have expressed a desire to be tough on crime in order to appease the police unions who contribute millions of dollars to their campaigns. Despite pushback from the public and attempts by local organizers to establish alternatives to policing, local elected officials have chosen instead to increase the already inflated police budgets. In the struggle to free political prisoners and prisoners of war, we must keep in mind the role that police unions play in keeping them incarcerated. An increase in spending on police inevitably means more funding for correctional facilities. 

In solidarity, 

Rhamier & Noah 

1033 leads for the Research & Political Education Team 

Lawmakers Take On Militarization of Police in Defense Budget Talks 

• Four Lawmakers have proposed NDAA amendments that would limit or end the Pentagon’s 1033 program. 

• Legislative efforts to end the program have been ineffective despite a majority of U.S. citizens supporting ending the program. 

• The withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan is expected to lead to a declaration of “excess” of 17,000 pieces of military equipment. 

• Police continue to add the cost and maintenance of this equipment to their budgets 

Congress Has a Chance to Roll Back the Flow of Military Weapons to Police Departments 

• The more combat gear the police receive, the more violent they become. 

• Since the inception of the 1033 program, Police have received 70,000 firearms, 5,000 military vehicles and 358 aircraft. 

• The Cost of maintenance of these weapons, shipping, training and operations often fall on State and Local governments. 

• The number of U.S. citizens killed by police are on the rise.

Additional Stories: 

• U.S. Congressional Support for More War spending and AUKUS Anti-China Pact Exposes Cynicism of Biden’s UN Speech Calling for More Diplomacy 

• Police officers don’t need military grade weapons 

• Steuben County to get free utility vehicle for future flooding

Learn more about BAP’s work on the 1033 program by visiting the 1033 resources page.