PROTEST "Urban Shield"! Police militarization conference/exercise in Oakland
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"The 9th annual Urban Shield - the SWAT team training and weapons expo that brings together local, regional and global police-military units - will be held in Oakland this coming September 4-8. Oakland is gearing up to stop it!"
"Building on growing resistance to police militarization in the US, Bay Area community organizations and War Resisters League have come together to call for Oakland's non-participation in Urban Shield, community self-determination, and solidarity with global movements. Urban Shield is connected to national police militarization programs such as 1033, 1122, Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) and DHS Fusion Centers. Stopping Urban Shield is one step to roll back police militarization."
In the wake of the police misconduct and aggressive military action in Ferguson, Missouri, people from a broad range of groups are coming together to protest the militarization of police forces in the United States here at the local level. We'll be converging in the triangle right in front of the hotel, and probably spilling out into the street depending on the number of attendees.
We've already had some significant victories in this fight:
• Congresswoman Barbara Lee relocated a fundraiser she had scheduled to hold at the Marriott today (Sept. 4). (We are now seeking a statement against Urban Shield from her office.)
• The Marriott Hotel reportedly will NOT be hosting Urban Shield in 2015! (However, the Alameda County Sheriff's Office will still presumably be looking to hold it elsewhere in the county, so we must remain vigilant!)
Show up tomorrow to help keep the pressure on, and build public outrage against this misuse of local resources leading us further down the road toward a police state!
For more information on other events and actions around Urban Shield, visit http://facingteargas.org/stop-urban-shield-oakland
You can also join the Facebook page for the protest here -- https://www.facebook.com/events/1440254886257775/1453077598308837/
PROTEST "Urban Shield"! Police militarization conference/exercise in Oakland