RISE Houston Says NO to HPD Gearing Up for War with the Community

In today’s news, RISE Houston’s Sharia Legette offered comment to the Houston Chronicle about HPD’s newest military-grade gear: a $350,000 armored tank:

“History has shown us that military-grade equipment has been used to terrorize Black and brown communities and terrorize protesters,” said Sharia Legette with the RISE Coalition, a Houston advocacy group focusing on police reforms. “We know that the police feel like this equipment is for safety purposes, but we truly feel like there’s no space for military equipment in our communities.”

Read more about this wasteful, dangerous expenditure in reporter Yilun Cheng’s article, “Houston police's new $350K SWAT vehicle revives debates over police use of military-grade gear,” here.

RISE Houston’s stance on militarized police is clear: NO.

The City of Houston already spends more than 1 billion dollars on HPD—more than any other city agency. The 1 billion dollar budget is more than one sixth of the entire city’s 5.7 billion dollar budget. Now, City Council has authorized an additional $350K of state tax dollars to purchase military-grade equipment that will inevitably be used to terrorize Black and Brown communities further. Historically and in recent memory, law enforcement bodies have used armored vehicles and other military equipment to stifle protest and dissent. For example, one NBC news investigation found at least 29 instances of police using armored vehicles—like the one HPD seeks to acquire—to terrorize people protesting the police-perpetrated murder of George Floyd.

Our tax dollars should be spent on community programs that make us safe: not new, dangerous toys for law enforcement. SWAT equipment further militarizes the police and reinforces the idea that police are in active combat with residents. Our communities need youth programs, child care, mental health services, education, and housing, not police striking fear and division in the community with military tanks.