• Press Release

Military Weapons to Local Law Enforcement a Grave Mistake

August 28, 2017

FERGUSON, MO - AUGUST 10: Police stand guard as demonstrators, marking the one-year anniversary of the shooting of Michael Brown, protest along West Florrisant Street on August 10, 2015 in Ferguson, Missouri. Mare than 100 people were arrested today during protests in Ferguson and the St. Louis area. Brown was shot and killed by a Ferguson police officer on August 9, 2014. His death sparked months of sometimes violent protests in Ferguson and drew nationwide focus on police treatment of black suspects. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
CONTACT: Mandy Simon, [email protected]

NEW YORK – Following remarks from Attorney General Jeff Sessions stating President Trump’s intention to reverse an executive order by President Obama limiting military weapons to local law enforcement, Justin Mazzola, Amnesty International USA researcher, issued the following statement:

“Today’s executive order is a grave mistake and could easily lead to a repeat of human rights violations that we’ve seen in the past. Police officers should be equipped to protect public safety and defuse conflict, but this policy would instead outfit them for a battlefield and escalate tensions.

“In Ferguson, Amnesty International witnessed a local police force, armed to the teeth with military-grade weapons facing a crowd of protestors, including elderly people and young children. We cannot allow that to happen again. President Trump must reconsider this order immediately.”

In a 2015 report, “On the Streets of America: Human Rights Abuses in Ferguson,” covering the police response to protestors in Ferguson, MO, Amnesty International spoke directly to the issue of military-grade weapons in the hands of local law enforcement and their effect on peaceful protest.

Amnesty International’s Ferguson report here:  https://www.amnestyusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/onthestreetsofamericaamnestyinternational.pdf