By Eddie Mukalazi
In June of 2020, I was an 8th grader who had just graduated from middle school. However, rather than accepting my diploma on the big stage, I received it from the window of my mom’s Honda Pilot in the first and only of its kind: “The Drive-Thru Graduation”. While it’s safe to say that these were unprecedented times, that didn’t stop the world from protesting against the cruel murder of George Floyd in May of that year.
Millions of people across the globe gathered in their communities to stand against police brutality, and my small town of Andover joined in on this fight. Although it was quite peaceful, the crowd was large as thousands of people from surrounding communities had poured in to fill in Main Street. While I am unsure if their respective police departments followed them into Andover, I do remember the feeling of pure shock as I witnessed cops covered in black masks and wearing sunglasses, equipped with large rifles resembling those out of action movies. It felt out of place for a town so small and unassuming, things up until that point in my life I had only seen on newsreels and the big screen.
This scenario was only possible through the Military Surplus Program–otherwise known as the 1033 Program–which allows law enforcement agencies with arrest and apprehension authority to acquire surplus military weapons and gear free of cost.
Although this appears to be a program that saves police departments money and somewhat overcorrects for military budget overspending, in practice this program proves only to harm the very communities it’s set out to support. Providing military weapons, vehicles, and equipment like rifles, tanks, and armored trucks only further militarizes local police departments, intimidates protesters, and endangers communities. Studies have shown that a maximum increase in the amount of military equipment taken by a police department can lead to a 129% increase in civilian deaths. This poses a considerable threat to Massachusetts residents, especially to those in communities like Worcester whose police departments have already been cited with excessive uses of force and sexual misconduct by the Department of Justice. Along with police departments in cities like Springfield and Boston that received some of the most complaints from the public in the past decade (a staggering 417 and 373 respectively), communities of color stand to be disproportionately effected by the hyper-militarization of local law enforcement.
What’s even more pressing is that Massachusetts has been an active participant in the program, as since 2000 the state’s police departments have received more than 1,000 weapons–including machine guns, grenade launchers, and armored vehicles. This has equaled over $12,905,378 worth of equipment since the beginning of the program.
Although this seems like it saves Massachusetts’ taxpayers money, the real cost we pay can’t be priced. As we speak democracy is under attack, as President Trump has wielded the national guard against people protesting against the increase in militarized ICE raids. The importance of fighting against the militarization of law enforcement is at an all-time high, as these weapons will ultimately be used to intimidate, brutalize, and silence those brave enough to question authority.
If you are concerned about the proliferation of military weapons in local law enforcement, contact your representatives in the MA legislature that you would like them to support senate bill S.1640, which requires local law enforcement agencies to receive permission from their local legislative body before applying for weapons and equipment through the 1033 Program. To protect our communities, use your voice and stand up for democracy.
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Eddie Mukalazi is a MAPA intern and student at the University of Pennsylvania.
