The finding should surprise no one: Minorities are disproportionately impacted by SWAT raids.
After all, minorities, particularly African Americans, are impacted disproportionately by just about every other police tactic. So why would military-like police actions be any different?
An ACLU report released Tuesday, "War Comes Home: The Excessive Militarization of American Policing," shows that if you're African American, you're far more likely to have a flashbang grenade sail through your window as battle-dressed cops shatter your front door, shove you on the floor with a gun to your head and ransack your home.
“Our police are trampling on our civil rights and turning communities of color into war zones,” said Kara Dansky, senior counsel with the ACLU’s Center for Justice, in a press release. “We all pay for it with our tax dollars. The Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, and Justice give police military weaponry and vehicles as well as grants for military equipment. The War on Drugs has failed, yet the federal government hasn’t stopped the flow of guns and money.”
The finding should surprise no one: Minorities are disproportionately impacted by SWAT raids.
After all, minorities, particularly African Americans, are impacted disproportionately by just about every other police tactic. So why would military-like police actions be any different?
An ACLU report released Tuesday, "War Comes Home: The Excessive Militarization of American Policing," shows that if you're African American, you're far more likely to have a flashbang grenade sail through your window as battle-dressed cops shatter your front door, shove you on the floor with a gun to your head and ransack your home.
“Our police are trampling on our civil rights and turning communities of color into war zones,” said Kara Dansky, senior counsel with the ACLU’s Center for Justice, in a press release. “We all pay for it with our tax dollars. The Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, and Justice give police military weaponry and vehicles as well as grants for military equipment. The War on Drugs has failed, yet the federal government hasn’t stopped the flow of guns and money.”
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