Over 200 people have quickly signed a new petition in Charlottesville, Va. at .ly/cvillepeace
Almost all of the signers are from Charlottesville.
The petition is addressed to the Charlottesville City Council and reads:
We urge you to ban from Charlottesville:
(1) military-style or "warrior" training of police by the U.S. military, any foreign military or police, or any private company,
(2) acquisition by police of any weaponry from the U.S. military;
and to require enhanced training and stronger policies for conflict de-escalation, and limited use of force for law enforcement.
Here are some of the comments people have added when they signed:
We need to set a good example.
I fully support this petition.
I am a City Resident.
We need the police, we greatly appreciate their service. We do not want to feel like we are in a police state, however. Police power should be adequate, but not militaristic.
We do not need or want the military in our streets. I say this as a former infantry officer. Soldiers are not trained for this work.
Durham, North Carolina, was the first US City Council to endorse such bans. Let's make Chalottesville the second city in the nation and the first in Virginia!
I am afraid to demonstrate because I am afraid that the police will attack me. I am seventy years old. I would really like to see that change in my lifetime. I have been waiting since 1960; can the change please be now?
Here in the USA, the police are NOT the military, and they may not "play" like they are in the military. I no longer trust the police to protect the public, because I get the sense that most of them are on the white supremacist side of things and the "guilty until proven innocent" way of thinking. I feel like the police believe that they can do whatever they like and not be held accountable. Giving them military grade gear/weaponry is inviting a very, VERY dangerous situation. NO militarized policing in Charlottesville, or anywhere else in Virginia.
I appreciate this much needed action and all efforts to pursue this positive peaceful social change!
This is wonderful! Thank you to all of you who are responsible for putting this together.
To Cville police, yes demilitarize but also thank you for your peaceful, watchful presence on June 7 during the large, peaceful protest against any brutality against our sisters and brothers of color-well done. thank you
The sharing of military-grade accessories with a small town community police force is absurd. I dont want it
THANK YOU FOR INITIATING THIS!
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