Uprisings in response to the killing of George Floyd and other victims of police brutality were met with different responses. One protest in particular, though, almost had a terrifying weapon used against it that we should be increasingly concerned about.
Their “microwave-like weapon called the Active Denial System” is basically a HEAT RAY!
The Washington Post reported that ground forces were prepared to use this weapon, which uses invisible rays to “make people feel as if their skin is burning!” And that’s not all they had.
They also had long range acoustic devices – a deafening sonic wave weapon – as well as stockpiled munitions. As with any sort of state violence, the question is not so much WHY they would use this, it’s about WHEN they choose to. For Black people, this is a big concern.
Militarized police tactics come from the 1033 Program and work in tandem with the military industrial complex. Corporations make a killing off of weapons of war that end up getting sold to police. Then we see it on our streets in Ferguson, DC, and more!
Their tactics tell us what we are to them.
They call these weapons “less-lethal” or “non-lethal,” but these types of weapons still kill people all the time!
Why are hundreds of billions of dollars spent on weapons to harm people while our communities are being depleted of resources?