Justice, Peace and Sustainability Weekly Announcement
June 4, 2020
IHM Monthly Mobilization to Prevent Gun Violence: Stop Militarizing the Police
On Monday, the IHM Sisters’ Leadership Council issued a statement speaking out against the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and countless other black Americans who have been killed by systemic racism and police violence. Click here to read this statement. Today, in solidarity, we invite you to join the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and more than 400 organizations in calling on Congress to quickly pass meaningful police reform legislation, including ending the militarization of law enforcement.
Section 1033 of a military spending bill passed in 1996 allows the Pentagon to give surplus war materials to local police departments. President Obama sharply curtailed this program in 2014 after local and county law enforcement transformed Ferguson, Mo. into a war zone. But in 2017, President Trump restored the program via executive order. Research has shown that outfitting police in military-style armor and weaponry changes the mentality of officers, prompting them to act more aggressively. It also undermines community policing and erodes public trust in law enforcement.
Click here to send a message to your members of Congress urging them to support the Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act (H.R. 1714) and other meaningful police reform legislation. Once you have acted, please email jpso@ihmsisters.org to let us know so that we can tally this month’s efforts. As always, please share this announcement with your family and friends and invite them to join you!
Black children and teens are 14 times more likely than their white peers to die by gun violence. Friday, June 5, is National Gun Violence Awareness Day, when tens of thousands of people across the country will wear orange to honor the more than 100 Americans shot and killed every day by gun violence. You are invited to wear orange on Friday.