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On the Issue of Urban Shield and the City of Berkeley

Jack Kurzweil
Tuesday May 16, 2017 - 11:09:00 AM

I am Jack Kurzweil, representing the Coordinating Committee of the Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club. 

We urge the Berkeley City Council to vote NO on Agenda items 53 and 54.  

Continued participation in UASI (Urban Area Security Initiative) and NCRIC (Northern California Regional Intelligence) and purchasing the armored van will continue and intensify the relationships of the Berkeley Police to these initiatives. 

These relationships, particularly during the Trump Administration, are in direct contradiction to the Council’s declaration of Berkeley as a Sanctuary City. They are a first step toward Berkeley’s police cooperating with and participating in immigration raids and political surveillance. 

Our accumulated wisdom of the last century is that taking the first step in the direction of accommodating repression makes it more difficult to refuse the next.  

Please Vote NO tonight.