The Costs of War Project is releasing a new report documenting how the post-9/11 wars have intensified police militarization in the United States. To coincide with this launch, the Watson Institute is hosting a livestream panel with scholars, civil society advocates, and a member of Congress to discuss the connection between militarization both abroad and at home, and to reflect on how this phenomenon is especially apparent in the current moment.
The panel will feature Jessica Katzenstein, a PhD candidate in Anthropology at Brown and lead author of the report. Fanna Gamal, Binder Fellow at the UCLA School of Law, will provide historical context on the racial politics of police militarization. We will also hear from Yasmine Taeb, Senior Policy Counsel at Demand Progress, who is leading advocacy efforts on anti-militarism at home and abroad, Rahna Epting, Executive Director of MoveOn, who will reflect on the current grassroots energy to take on these structures, particularly from a racial justice standpoint, and Representative Hank Johnson, Congressman from Georgia's 4th District, a lead sponsor of legislation to de-militarize police.