Turning Cops into Troops : A Look at the Rise of Domestic Militarization
SCREENINGS
Madison, WI
Sunday, August 1
Screening of Urban Warrior at the Electric Earth Cafe, 8:00 p.m.
AUDIO
Mind Over Matters : The Struggle For Police Accountability in SeattleScreenings are in the works for Eugene. Details on this and other locations will be forthcoming.
Do you want to host a screening in your location? Perhaps your school, community center, or church would like to host one?
To host a showing in the Northwest:
Paul Richmond at (206) 621-1390 or e-mail at paulr_urbanwarrior@yahoo.com.
To host a showing outside the Northwest:
Matt Ehling at (651) 645-0005 or e-mail at mattehling@yahoo.com.
The phenomenon of using the military to control the populace predates the 9/11 terrorist attacks, but those attacks have served as a tool for the administration to accelerate implementation of this activity.
Please see the bottom of this page for links to further information.
PROGRAM SYNOPSIS
Within recent years, the formerly bright line separating U.S. military operations from domestic police work has become increasingly blurred. From Waco, to the WTO protests, tactics once reserved for wartime combat are being used in domestic law enforcement operations with increasing frequency.
The United States has traditionally recognized a separation of the roles and jurisdictions of its police and military forces. The Posse Commitatus Act, which provides much of the legal foundation for military-police separation in America, has been severely eroded by numerous executive orders and congressional actions, opening the way for military involvement in civilian law enforcement.
During the 1980s and 90s, the Pentagon began supplying both military training and surplus military hardware to domestic law enforcement agencies. Paramilitary SWAT teams, utilizing urban combat tactics, sub-machine guns, and armored personnel carriers, now exist in 90% of American cities with a population of 50,000 or more.
In addition to providing weaponry and support, the military has also become involved in domestic law enforcement in an operational capacity. National Guard troops have accompanied state and local police on drug raids in many areas of the country. Delta Force soldiers provided assistance to law enforcement agencies at both Waco and the Seattle WTO protests, and select army units were put on stand-by for use in domestic counter-terrorism operations during the 2000 political conventions. Even prior to the 9-11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, high level discussions were underway to redirect national security policy to focus on "Homeland Security", with think tanks like the Council on Foreign Relations issuing policy papers urging that more resources be devoted to the "gray domain" between traditional law enforcement and military jurisdictions. Since then, new calls have been made to involve the military in domestic affairs, and to further eliminate the traditional fire walls that have long separated these two entities.
"Urban Warrior" investigates the history of this trend as it has evolved over the last three decades, and examines case studies of militarized policing ranging from the Seattle WTO protests, to the Elian Gonzalez raid, to the SWAT team shooting of Miami resident Richard Brown.
ORDER FORM:
URBAN WARRIOR is a documentary project investigating the growing collaboration between the U.S. military
and domestic law enforcement. The film charts this trend over the last three decades, and showcases in-depth
case studies of militarized policing, from the Seattle WTO protests to the Elian Gonzales raid.
If you are interested in scheduling a screening of the film in the Northwest, contact Paul at (206) 621-1390 or e-mail to paulr_urbanwarrior@yahoo.com. We have speakers who are available to accompany the film.
If you are interested in acquiring copies of the film or scheduling a speaker outside of the Northwest, contact Matt Ehling at (651) 645-0005 or e-mail at mattehling@yahoo.com.
OR, MAIL YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION TO
Urban Warrior
PO BOX 4233
St Paul, MN 55104
Please include your name, address, phone number, and e-mail address.
Courtesy copies are available for community and activist groups upon request.
A $10 donation is requested for individual purchase.
Please include $3.00 shipping fee for orders by mail.
LINKS
Following are some links to additional related information by participants in this project.
Guide to videotaping police at large demonstrations.
Waging War on Dissent report
Newspaper report containing articles on domestic militarization, including articles by contributors to the documentary. Allow time for download (also requires Adobe Acrobat Reader, available for free here).
Beyond the thin blue line: militarizing the police
Transcript of militarized police forum held in NYC on 9-25-01. Participants include attorney Paul Richmond and writers Frank Morales of Covert Action Quarterly, Sam Smith of the Progressive Review and Abby Scherr of the Nation.
Transcript of militarized police forum
Text excerpts from forum held in NYC on 9-25-01. Participants include attorney Paul Richmond and writers Frank Morales of Covert Action Quarterly, Sam Smith of the Progressive Review and Abby Scherr of the Nation.
Seattle as a Model of a New Type of War
Report written by Paul Richmond after the WTO in Seattle. Examines what took place during the WTO Ministerial as a new type of war in which cities are viewed as battlefields and the domestic population is viewed as the enemy.
Paul Richmond on Police State America
Interview with Paul Richmond on the militarization of domestic law enforcement, taken during the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles, August 2000.
To learn more, contact Paul Richmond via e-mail at paulr_urbanwarrior@yahoo.com or via telephone at (206) 621-1390.
Paul Richmond
600 1st Ave #618
Seattle, WA 98104
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