Thread by @equalityAlec

THREAD. Late last night, something alarming happened. House Democratic leadership shocked everyone and is trying to force through billions for 100,000 more cops and big expansion of surveillance by *coupling that bill with the assault weapons ban.* Vote is now at 10am.

I previously explained why the push by corporate Democrats to massively expand police surveillance at a time of alarming rise in criminalization of reproductive rights, growing fascism, and police crackdown on climate movements is an existential threat.

https://twitter.com/equalityAlec/status/1551670009667227651

Both racial justice and survivors of gun violence were alarmed by the maneuver of @HouseDemocrats to join these two separate issues. People have not even had time to read the bill that would create the greatest expansion of militarized police in a generation.

This is a grotesque attempt by @HouseDemocrats to pit survivors of gun violence against civil rights, reproductive rights, and racial justice groups. It is also like climate science denial.

Police unions and the for-profit surveillance and weapons corporations who profit from this folly are among the most powerful right-wing forces in our society. 100,000 new cops with billions in new tech and weaponry would be nearly unstoppable force.

In last 100 years, every major expansion of police and surveillance tech led to infiltration of movements for gender, immigrant, labor, environmental, economic, and racial justice. Now, in almost half the U.S., same cops would arrest people for basic reproductive health.

It's astonishing that Democrats would respond to massive shootings and criminalization of abortion with billions more for more cops, which scientific evidence shows do not prevent shootings but will massively expand the ability of the state to track and punish pregnant people.

Here is the letter sent by a wide range of the country's leading organizations opposing what @HouseDemocrats are trying to do: civilrightscorps.org/wp-content/upl…

The leadership is very close to passing one of the most disastrous bills in recent history without anyone reading it. But people of good will are pushing back and it’s working:

https://mobile.twitter.com/JakeSherman/status/1553030742262833154

UPDATE: hearing that Dem Leadership has dropped the surveillance/militarized police funding for today due to backlash. Moving forward with assault weapon ban only. I’m sure they will bring it back though….

UPDATE: Pelosi is now apparently working in secret to push this again. We still don't know what's being said, what's being negotiated, how much of Biden's plan is included, how much more $$$ for police militarization, etc. It's all happening in secret and being rushed.

UPDATE: We averted disaster last night. Democratic leadership will regroup and bring back push for billions for big expansion of police surveillance bureaucracy in next couple weeks, and we have to be organized. It would be a generational disaster like the 1994 crime bill.