Cops across the country routinely participate in a program in which they travel to Israel to receive training in policing tactics. To prevent the militarization of their police force, the city of Durham has banned this practice.
Durham, NC — (RT) Durham City Council, North Carolina, has voted to abolish international exchanges with Israel, under which officers receive “military-style training.” The council wants to prevent the “militarization” of law enforcement.
Late on Monday, after a heated debate in the city council, the members voted 6 to 0 in what one of the activist groups, Jewish Voice for Peace, described as “the first city to prohibit police exchanges with Israel.” The group was one of those which pushed forward the move together with the Durham2Palestine coalition – a movement opposing police militarization in the US and calling to stop supporting human rights abuses in Israel. The activists launched a petition in fall of last year demanding that the city authorities “immediately halt” any such partnerships with Israeli forces.
“The council opposes international exchanges with any country in which Durham officers receive military-style training since such exchanges do not support the kind of policing we want here in the City of Durham,” the council said in a statement.
Exchanges between US and Israeli law enforcement are common training practice, organized by governmental bodies as well as NGOs and private companies.It appears that each city can make its own decision on the matter.
However, the mayor of Durham, Steve Schewel, said that people were given “completely false information” and that the city’s police force has not been engaged in training with the Israeli army. Earlier, Police Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis echoed the statement, saying that since she has been in office there has been “no effort… to initiate or participate in any exchange to Israel, nor do I have any intention to do so.”
There is also a broader campaign calling on the US government to halt such partnerships with Israel to challenge “state violence and discrimination in both countries.”
As the city council passed the motion, the activist groups which were campaigning for the move praised the decision. However, some also criticized the measure as inciting “anti-Israel” sentiment and possibly encouraging other American cities to do the same, Bob Gutman, a co-chair of Voice for Israel, said, as cited by local media.
Prior to the decision, activists gathered in front of City Hall, calling for “demilitarization from Durham to Gaza.” The organizers of the rally cited the recent events in Gaza and police brutality against black people as examples of “state violence.”
#1: A K A Stone To: Deckard (#0)
A K A Stone posted on 2018-04-19 06:47:53 Reply Private Reply
#2: A Pole To: A K A Stone (#1)
Especially that Israelis have great experience in keeping nasty Palestinians in their right place.
A Pole posted on 2018-04-19 07:12:50 Reply Private Reply
#3: Deckard To: A K A Stone (#1)
So - you favor Nazi-like SS storm troopers policing the streets?
Militarized cops are not good.
They are trained in Israel to treat all citizens like criminals.
Is that the kind of policing you support?
Cops are NOT soldiers - they should not be trained and behave as such.
Deckard posted on 2018-04-19 07:38:17 Reply Private Reply
#4: Deckard To: A Pole (#2)
And American cops trained in Israel have great experience keeping American citizens in their place.
Deckard posted on 2018-04-19 07:40:48 Reply Private Reply
#5: sneakypete To: A K A Stone (#1)
It has nothing to do with Jews. It has to do with what we used to laughingly call "peace officers" from US cities going to foreign nations to receive para-military training.
ANY police department that has enough money to do that needs to have their freaking budgets cut and their police chiefs fired.
We all know that cops love to pretend they are soldiers and to play with all the "soldier tools" they can get their hands on,but they are NOT soldiers. They are nothing more than cops.
I am honestly surprised any city has approved and had a budget to finance crap like this,and applaud the City of Durham,who is NOT well-known for having common sense,for taking this stand.
sneakypete posted on 2018-04-19 09:13:21 Reply Private Reply
#6: sneakypete To: A Pole (#2)
It's none of my business how,why,or what the Israelis do with their Palestinian population,but it IS my business what American cities do with American citizens.
sneakypete posted on 2018-04-19 09:15:23 Reply Private Reply