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Emergency Fundraising: Bail them out!

On Monday August 17th five WRL members blockaded the entrance to Combined Systems International — the largest tear gas manufacturer in the U.S. 

Our group successfully deterred a shipment from entering Combined Systems Inc. and had many meaningful conversations with neighbors and folks driving by. All five members of the blockade were arrested and kept overnight at Mercer County Jail, where they are still being held.

On Tuesday August 18th we found out: Those five people are now facing multiple charges each for their courageous action and bail has been set at $25,000 each. To get them out we need to cover 10% of bail, which amounts to $12,500 to get all five people released and home safely.

We're blockading the entrance to a tear gas manufacturer right now

Right now, 5 activists are blockading the entrance of Combined Systems Inc. with giant tear gas cans and gas masks, refusing to move.

These five are with a group of 40 activists from cities across the U.S. who are onsite in Jamestown, PA with the goal of shutting down operations at Combined Systems Inc. for the day. Outside the facility, other activists have staked over a hundred yard signs, each with the name of a different city where tear gas has been used against people.

By shutting down this facility today, we are here to put CSI President Jacob Kravel on notice that his company’s production of tear gas must come to an end. We hope whatever he chooses to produce in this factory can be useful rather than harmful.

Hiroshima & Nagaski - Marking 75 Years

August 6th and August 9th this week mark the 75th year since the United States used nuclear weapons on civilians living in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The bombings killed over 200,000 people. To this day, survivors are #stillhere and fighting for the abolition of nuclear weapons.

As we remember the incredible violence of these days, which irreparably changed the course of history, we also look to the future. 75 years later, it is completely unacceptable that nuclear weapons still exist. It's time to abolish nuclear weapons.

It's Time to Abolish DHS

In a continued effort to crush the Black Lives Matter movement, Trump sent Federal agents to the streets of Portland to “quell” the weeks of rallies to defund the police. Federal agents in Portland are part of a Department of Homeland Security task force formed in response to Donald Trump’s executive order issued on June 26th, to protect statues and monuments of Confederate leaders and against “left-wing extremism that call for the destruction of the United States system of government.” Now, Trump is escalating beyond Portland and efforts are underway to expand the presence of Federal agents across the country, with Chicago, New York, and many other cities on the list. It's time to abolish the Department of Homeland Security.

Now Recruiting Members for our New Editorial Committee

Now Recruiting WRL Editorial Committee

War Resisters League is creating a space for accessible antiwar analysis that pushes forward the viewpoints of people struggling for justice around the world in a way that creates more and new opportunities for solidarity. Building on the War Resisters League’s long history as a home for open and honest debate and much-needed analysis of complex issues, we are excited to announce the formation of our new Editorial Committee to better shape the direction of antiwar and antimilitarist discussion in the United States.

Read more on how to apply.

A Revolutionary Nonviolent Perspective on US Uprisings

What we are seeing on the streets are not “peaceful” but rather nonviolent protests seeking to confront and disrupt the violence of U.S. police.

We are activists, we are practitioners of revolutionary nonviolence, and we are outraged. Outraged at the 400-year long history of violence against Black people in this country; outraged at the racist and murderous system that founded police, who kill Black people with impunity; outraged at the state-sanctioned brutality meeting Black Lives Matter protesters in the streets. We are outraged by the deployment of an old narrative that uses a false ideal of “peaceful protest” to justify the use of excessive force against protesters in the name of “restoring peace.” Read on...

Tear Gas - What You Need To Know

From 2012 to 2014, War Resisters League ran the Facing Tear Gas campaign aimed at exposing the tear gas industry: who's making it, who's buying it, and where it's used. Tear Gas, unsurprisingly, was found to be a common tool for state oppression from the United States to Bahrain, Egypt, Israel, and elsewhere.

Now in 2020, the use of tear gas is back on the forefront of people's minds for its use against Black Lives Matter protestors across the United States. Not only are police using a chemical weapon on protestors, but they are also using it during the context of the COVID-19 pandemic - compounding the danger to people's lives.

While some cities across the United States have implemented a 30-day ban, War Resisters League continues to push for a total ban of tear gas.

For more information on tear gas, including domestic and international testimonials, research behind companies, and a workshop you can use to educate others, visit our website here. We've pulled some key information below:

Militarized Response Tracker #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd

We’re heartbroken and outraged and like so many of you, refuse to allow the systematic killing of Black people in the United States to continue without a fight for justice. There is a lot to be outraged about: from how the politics of COVID-19 pandemic put the lives of Black and indigenous folks at risk, to how calls for release of prisoners still haven’t been met, to the fact that police brutality has taken the lives of Ahmaud Arbury, Dreasjon Reed, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Taylor McDade, and far too many others. 

What We’re Tracking: Militarized Responses to #Justice4GeorgeFloyd

When we talk about police militarization, there is still belief in the notion that if police weren’t militarized, then we wouldn’t have a problem - even within the antimilitarist community. That's not true. We need to push back on this idea and the myth of “a few bad apples in the police force.” The truth is: “regular policing” has always and continues to harass, detain, brutalize, and terrorize Black people. It’s why there are virtually never repercussions for police officers who commit murder. And the militarization of domestic policing isn’t entirely new either - in fact, the history goes back decades.

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