BY JASON COHEN
Amid national uproar
against police brutality and
the systemic violence against
black and brown communities,
Senator Alessandra
Biaggi introduced two pieces
of legislation to demilitarize
law enforcement this week.
The fi rst bill provides that
no law enforcement agency
shall use a chemical incapacitant,
including tear gas and
prohibits the use of pepper
spray for crowd control purposes.
The second one prohibits a
law enforcement agency from
receiving or purchasing the
following property from a military
equipment surplus program
operated by the federal
government: drones that are
armored, weaponized or both,
aircraft that are combat confi
gured or combat coded, grenades
or similar explosives
and grenade launchers, silencers
or militarized armored vehicles.
“Across New York and
our nation, ongoing protests
demanding racial justice
and an end to police brutality
have been met with local
law enforcement in riot gear,
armed with chemical weapons,”
Biaggi said. “The militarized
response to peaceful
protest and civil disobedience
has only escalated violence,
shocking the conscience of
New Yorkers and Americans
across the country witnessing
this trauma for the fi rst
time.”
A study of 9,000 law enforcement
agencies across the
U.S. found that police militarization
does not reduce violent
crime or impact the number
of offi cers assaulted or killed
on the job, police forces are
more likely to deploy militarized
units in black neighborhoods
and the use of militarygrade
equipment by the police
decreases public confi dence
in law enforcement. Additionally,
evidence shows that the
militarization of law enforcement
is associated with an increase
in police violence.
But this is nothing new —
for decades, municipalities
have increasingly militarized
their law enforcement and
the consequences have been
deadly. Federal surplus programs
BRONX TIMES R 2 EPORTER, JUNE 12-18, 2020 BTR
have allowed police to
receive military-grade equipment
like tanks, armored
drones, and grenades, which
they have disproportionately
deployed in Black and brown
communities. The use of military
equipment in U.S. localities
does nothing to advance
public safety or even protect
police offi cers — it only incites
violence and terror in
our neighborhoods.
To further exacerbate police
hostility, local law enforcement
maintain access
to prohibited mechanisms of
chemical warfare. Tear gas
has been banned from use on
battlefi elds by the Chemical
Weapons Convention for decades,
but to this day is used
by New York law enforcement
to dispel protestors exercising
their fi rst amendment rights.
“The sheer purpose of tear
gas is to trigger pain receptors
that cause crying, sneezing,
coughing, diffi culty breathing,
and temporary blindness
Biaggi moves to demilitarize law enforcement File photo
upon exposure with the risk
of long-term consequences,”
said Biaggi. “It is unfathomable
that in the middle of a
respiratory pandemic, we are
seeing offi cers fi re tear gas
and pepper spray at peaceful
protestors with impunity. For
years, police have abused tear
gas, showing zero restraint.
Enough is enough.”
Biaggi added, “As long as
police continue to arm themselves
with military-grade
equipment — they will approach
our communities as
warzones, looking for an enemy,
instead of seeing their
neighbors as the people who
they are sworn to protect.”
Enough is enough
Biaggi legislation moves to demilitarize law enforcement