PHOTO/EAST BAY DSA
The US Justice Department on Dec. 18 announced the launch of “Operation Relentless Pursuit,” which Attorney General William Barr claimed is aimed at “combating violent crime” in seven cities through a “surge” in federal resources. The cities are Albuquerque, Baltimore, Cleveland, Detroit, Kansas City, Memphis, and Milwaukee.
The plan to flood these cities with more police comes ahead of the 2020 elections and on the heels of a boost in Trump’s assault on immigrants and his announced plans to round up the homeless and force them into camps. And while additional funding is put into policing the people, residents in every one of the seven cities involved face rising poverty, a lack of affordable housing, school closures, deteriorating infrastructure, lack of healthcare and other crises.
The operation will increase the number of federal law enforcement officers to the selected cities, and increase federal collaboration with state and local law enforcement. It also involves up to $71 million in federal grant funding that can be used to hire new officers, pay overtime and benefits, finance federally deputized task force officers, and provide equipment and technology.
So why the stepped-up police presence?
Just as we saw in Ferguson, Standing Rock, and now in Oakland, as people fight for their rights, militarized police are used to put down protests and to protect the interests of big money. In Oakland, sheriffs with AR-15 rifles and a tank showed up to evict homeless mothers.
It appears the continuing rise of poverty in America goes hand in hand with the rise of a police state. People are beginning to see this and are standing up against it.
Bob Lee is a professional journalist, writer and editor, and is co-editor of the People’s Tribune, serving as Managing Editor. He first started writing for and distributing the People’s Tribune in 1980, and joined the editorial board in 1987.
