“I couldn’t believe my eyes. They were blocking the highway peacefully – not a threat. Still, teargas exploded everywhere. Trapped by the gas, people could not access the safe exits. This was an intentional blatant abuse of power by Philadelphia law enforcement over non-violent protestors expressing first amendment rights.”
Nathaniel Miller, legal observer with Up Against the Law on June 1, 2020.
Here’s what followed: More than 140 protesters and Philadelphia residents sued Philadelphia law enforcement over the indiscriminate use of tear gas in Center City. And, after police fired teargas canisters in the 52nd street corridor injuring and arresting many innocent bystanders, neighboring West Philadelphia residents, including Councilwoman Jamie Gauthier, called for an investigation.
These images, including reporters being violently detained, handcuffed, and dragged by counter-terrorism units, are frighteningly similar not only to those across U.S. cities, but are also a daily occurrence in Israel/Palestine where the Israeli military randomly humiliates, arrests, and detains Palestinian adults as well as young children.
The obvious question: Is there a connection? The answer: Yes, with certainty, there is.
Because of his role in the violence against the protesters on June 1st, Philadelphia’s Deputy Commissioner Dennis Wilson, in charge of Special Operations for the Philadelphia Police Department, accepted an unspecified demotion. Wilson has directed the PPD Joint-Terrorism Task Force, a body which has repeatedly targeted journalists and activists in their homes. PPD leadership has attended training in Israel to learn anti-terrorism tactics and procedures. As well, Philadelphia’s newly minted police commissioner, Danielle Outlaw participated in such an exchange program when she was chief of police for the Portland Police Bureau. Exchanges between U.S. and Israeli police and military agencies are not new. They are typically organized by private companies in the U.S. and Israel, non-profit organizations, and governmental agencies.
Parading as a civil rights organization, The Anti-Defamation League is the best known of organizations that facilitate such exchanges, while holding similar trainings inside of the US. Now demoted Wilson has attended in the past, giving the opening remarks.
Attendees include high ranking officers who upon their return set policy and conduct training for entire departments and agencies, such as police chiefs, commanders, and other high-ranking immigration and law enforcement officials.
Exchange programs bring U.S. police departments, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and FBI together with the Israeli military. Worst practices are shared, thus promoting and extending discriminatory and repressive policing in both countries. As Israeli agents inform U.S. policing strategies and practices, U.S.-based manufacturing companies provide weaponry for the Israeli military to repress its own protests. This exchange of training and weapons promotes state violence against peaceful demonstrations at home and abroad.
Some of the worst repression against Black Lives Matter (BLM) demonstrations has occurred in Philadelphia, PA, the City of Brotherly Love. Photographic evidence and PA state contracts reveal that the teargas used is manufactured by the Combined Tactical Systems and Safariland companies. Unsurprisingly, these are the same companies that supply teargas used by the Israeli military against Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. A recent direct action by The War Resisters League blocked and shut down normal operations of Combined Tactical Systems in Jamestown, PA. Several arrested activists (now released) also took part in protests in Philadelphia.
BLM activists increasingly support Palestine human rights activists, endorsing calls for boycotting Israel. The movements have organically converged. Growing concerns about police training and violence against non-violent protest has catalyzed a national Deadly Exchange campaign to end all U.S.-Israel law enforcement exchange programs. As calls to “defund the police” intensify, so do calls to end these exchanges. Spearheaded by the Jewish Voice for Peace nationally, local participation includes members of the Black Alliance for Peace, JVP-Philly, Philadelphians Organized to Witness, Empower & Rebuild, Media Mobilizing Project, Party for Socialism and Liberation, The Philadelphia Coalition for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Nathaniel Miller further observes, “Working in broad cross-movement coalitions helps connect the dots to better understand how structures that create repression are intimately intertwined. The broad goal is to create a just society. Ending unjust police trainings and exchanges is a giant step toward that end.”
This article makes it seem like the U.S. is completely incompetent when it comes to inventing oppressive policing, as if we’ve got to learn all our bad policing tactics from Israel. As a matter of national pride I’d like to point out that we’ve taught Israel a few things about human rights violations, for example stop and frisk, they probably got that from us –
https://deadlyexchange.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Deadly-Exchange-Report.pdf
The main tool from the arsenal of Broken Windows policing that Israel codified under law within its own borders is stop-and-frisk. In November 2015, the Israeli Security Cabinet authorized a stop-and-frisk policy that officially authorized police to conduct searches without probable cause. In 2016 it was made law, enabling police to declare entire areas under threat of terrorism and to search people without the need for reasonable suspicion. The law was harshly criticized by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel who warned that it is likely to be “selectively enforced against minorities including Arabs or dark-skinned men.”…
Speaking of “worst practices”
https://www.juancole.com/2020/08/demolished-palestinian-jerusalem.html
“Israelis have demolished 650 Palestinian Homes in Jerusalem just this year. Wrong even without a Pandemic” By Romana Wadi, Informed Comment, August 26/20
EXCERPT:
“Contrary to what the Palestine Liberation Organisation’s Secretary-General Saeb Erekat stated confidently a few months ago, Israel has not stopped demolishing the homes of Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank. In the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, an agreement riddled with loopholes was reached in which Israel agreed to halt home demolitions temporarily, with the exception of buildings alleged to be a security threat to the occupation state.
“Israeli media now report a ‘record number of home demolitions’ in occupied East Jerusalem this year, compared with 2019, despite this alleged suspension. This month 24 homes have been demolished so far. ‘Demolition orders are carried out in an equitable matter and in accordance with court rulings,’ claims the Jerusalem Municipality, but there is no equity in a system that prevents Palestinians from accessing permits to build or extend their homes. Israeli legislation is geared towards dispossession and the forced displacement of the indigenous Palestinian population.”