Military exercises in Worcester a surprise to residents, including the local police?

^{_{Above: Worcester, MA on August 2, 2012}}

“First Amendment, Meet Paramilitary Police”

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The Alyona Show looks at the flood of homeland security funding to states and cities for the purchase of military grade surveillance and crowd control weapons in the post-9/11 age, and the deployment of these tools to interfere with social and political protest from New York City to Anaheim, CA. 

Police killing of suspect raises protest, police violence

On Saturday 21 July 2012 police in Anaheim, CA shot to death a man officers say was running from them. People from the dead man's community staged an impromptu protest to confront what one community organizer called his "extrajudicial" killing at the hands of police. This is what happened next:

Seattle police raid activist house, don’t make arrests

^{_{Photo credit (right): Steven Walling}}

The militarization of the police: low budget video version

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The San Jose Police Department made this video to recruit new cops; it clearly illustrates the worrying, increasingly militaristic orientation of many modern US urban departments. Are the police here to protect and serve the civilian population, or do they see themselves as warriors in a war zone?

Snatch and grabs on video

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We've written a lot about the militarization of the police; it will continue to be an issue we highlight here and in our advocacy work for years to come.

New Lockheed robot on duty in Afghanistan

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Wired describes Lockheed Martin's 'Squad Mission Support System' ("SMSS") robot, now on patrol in Afghanistan:

Predicting the future at home?

Photo credit: Essam Sharaf

“Pray for peace; train for war.”

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"The notion that the United States, with a tiny minority of the world's population, has the right to dominate other countries is profoundly authoritarian and profoundly anti-democratic." -- Andy Thayer, Chicago anti-war activist.

Blackhawk Chicago: NATO preparations?

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Military Blackhawk helicopters flew in formation over Chicago on April 16, likely in preparation for the NATO summit coming to the city in May 2012. Witnesses reported seeing heavily armed soldiers aiming weapons out of the aggressive combat birds. The exercise reportedly lasted a few hours and flew throughout the city.