Black and Palestinian Solidarity

In 2014, the unlawful police murder of Mike Brown in Ferguson, MS, was among the many catalysts for “The Ferguson Uprisings” and Black Lives Matter movement. Protests and riots spread throughout the nation. One prominent highlight from that era was the display of solidarity between Palenstinians and Black Americans, reaffirming the comradery between these oppressed communities. Palestinians shared useful methods with Black protestors who were being assaulted by police at protests. Both communities understand their struggles to be linked together. The police brutality that Black Americans are subjected  to, mirrors the Israeli military and police brutality that Palestinans are subjected too. One of the reasons for these similarities is the Law Enforcement Exchange Program. This is a police training program between U.S. law enforcement agencies and Israel’s defense security forces state police,  in which U.S. officers receive anti-terrorism and militaristic training in Israel.

Tweets from Twitter/X user Mariam Barghouti in 2014, expressing their solidarity with Black Ferguson protestors and organizers.

MPD’s Racist Policing Practices 

As of March 2024 there have been 140 Black people killed by D.C. police since 2013.  The department has been accused of using other racially biased tactics such as stop and frisk, and jump out units. Jump-Out squads aren’t the only police units committing brutal acts against Washingtonians. A mandated MPD report revealed that Black people made up the majority of people who were stopped, frisked, arrested, and violated by special units in 2019 and 2020. These units are a part of the Narcotics and Specialized Investigations Division; officers usually wear plain clothes, and their duties are to remove illegal guns from the streets and handle investigations dealing with narcotics. 

Graphic from Mapping Police Violence 

After the launch of the Law Enforcement Exchange programs, U.S. Law enforcement continues to intensify the militarization of its agencies, most notably through the 1033 Program. This program was created to supply U.S. police departments with surplus military equipment ranging from weapons to uniform gear. In the last decade, protestors have been met with local police agencies dressed in riot gear. MPD is among the many U.S. police departments that have had to settle large sum civil lawsuits against its officers for misconduct, excessive force, unlawful arrests, and unjust murders. In 2021, D.C. chose to settle two lawsuits in the amount $1.6 million dollars for police misconduct during the infamous 2017 Inaugural protests aka J-20. Wards 7 & 8 are often referred to as police “occupied territories”, similar to Gaza and the West Bank being occupied by IDF soldiers and Israel Border Patrol agents. 

U.S. & Israel Law Enforcement Exchange Program

According to The Intercept Article “Israel Forces Are Training American Cops Despite History Of Rights Abuses”  from 2017, the Israeli security training w/ U.S. Law Enforcement began after 9/11;

“In the aftermath of 9/11, Israel seized on its decades-long experience as an occupying force to brand itself as a world leader in counterterrorism. U.S. law enforcement agencies took the Jewish state up on its expertise by participating in exchange programs sponsored by an array of pro-Israel groups, like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs, and the Anti-Defamation League. Over the past decade and a half, scores of top federal, state, and local police officers from dozens of departments from across the U.S. have gone to Israel to learn about its terrorism-focused policing.”

Israel’s military, intelligence agency, police, border patrol, and security formations train U.S. Law Enforcement agencies. 

For example, when Morgan Kane served as Commander for MPD, she was among the trainees in the Law Enforcement Exchange Program in 2017. Kane was promoted to Assistant Police Chief of Patrol Services North in 2022 and retired in January 2024. Her participation received criticism from former at large D.C. Council Member, David Grosso, who advocated for community based approaches instead of militarization of local D.C. police officers. In response to Grosso’s critique MPD stated:

“Expanding our knowledge on counterterrorism and gaining valuable experience for the next generation of MPD leadership is critical to the safety and well-being of the residents and visitors of D.C.,” the spokesperson wrote.

In theory this response is well-meaning, however the “counter-terrorism” knowledge that MPD officers gain from the program manifests as hyper-militaristic and racist policing against Black and brown Washingtonians.

Kane wasn’t the only officer in leadership to receive training in Israel, MPD’s controversial relationship with Israel dates back to the early 2000s. Several of their former police chiefs, Charles V. Ramsey, Cathy Lanier, and Peter Newsham, were recipients of the Law Enforcement Exchange training program too. At the 2010 Anti-Defamation League Press Conference, Lanier lauded Israel’s Counter-Terrorism security training program and referred to it as a “preventative measure that MPD officers and D.C. residents benefit from.” The former police chief noted an increase in community engagement between MPD officers that received Israeli training and the communities they claim to protect and serve. Lanier launched Operation TIPP (Terrorist Intervention Prevention Program) after developing counter-terrorism strategies for units within the department. After her retirement announcement one of her critics, Eugene Puryear, was quoted in the Washington Post as “uncompromising defender of the type of militarized police actions and strategies that have come under intense scrutiny since the arising of the movement for black lives”. His critique refuted the praise from Lanier’s supporters. 

History of Israel’s Occupation, IDF, and INP

The catalyst for  the Israeli occupation of Palestine began a little over a century ago. The infamous Nakba (1947-1949) was a violent expulsion of Palestinans from their indigenous homelands, creating what is now known as Israel in their place. The Nakba not only stripped Palestinians of their homes, culture, land, resources, and way of life, but also their recognition as a soverign nation-state within the eyes of Israel and its allies.  This is important to note because Palestine doesn’t have a military force or power to determine its own governance. As of 2023 within the U.N. Palestine is only recognized by 139 countries as a state, while 165 recognize Israel as a state. Israel continues to reject the call for Palestine to establish its own statehood.  Israel denies claims of being an illegitmiate “settler-colonial state”, however their actions prove otherwise. In December 2023, the South African government filed a case against Israel within the highest international court ICJ (International Court of Justice), citing human rights violations, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and genocide within the Gaza strip. In conclusion of the trial, on January 26th the court “determined plausibility that Israel is carrying out a genocide against Palestinians in Gaza” according to the Palestinian Chronicle. The court ordered six provisional directions against Israel: 

The IDF (Israel Defense Force) is a military style unit within the West Bank, Jerusalem, and Gaza. The atrocities committed by the IDF against Palestinians have been well documented since its inception. This same unit is one of the security entities responsible for training U.S. Law Enforcement agencies. The IDF is also referred to as “IOF: Israel Occupying Forces” by its critics, Palestinians, and activists.  The INP (Israel National Police), is the police force that was established the same year as the beginning of the Nakaba. Through the exchange program, INP adopted “stop and frisk”, now an illegal tactic that became popular throughout U.S. police departments, most notably the NYPD. MPD officers have also been accused of implementing this racist tactic. This indicates the reciprocal exchange of racist and violent tactics between Israeli and U.S. Law Enforcement Agencies. These agencies carry out these tactics against oppressed and racialized communities within their countries. 

No More Stop & Frisk

The D.C. based community organization, Stop Police Terror Project (SPTP) launched their campaign, “No More Stop & Frisk”. This campaign aims to end the racial profiling against Black, brown, TLGBQ+, and immigrant communities by MPD. D.C. Police claim this practice is non-invasive and brief, and is only used against anyone they suspect is carrying a weapon. SPTP states: “In reality, “suspicion” applies almost exclusively to Black and Brown people, the stops are invasive and traumatizing, and police regularly conduct illegal searches for things other than weapons without probable cause.”. Former police chief Peter Newsham and Mayor Muriel Bowser have openly supported stop and frisk, as long as it’s constitutional. Data reports have revealed this practice to be ineffective and racially biased in D.C., Baltimore, and New York City. 

U.S. Government Foreign Aid to Israel 

MPD and the IDF have strong ties, often boasting about their relationship in the press, at fundraiser events, and in political campaigns. The Law Enforcement Exchange training program is privately funded by American and Israeli organizations. In 2017, Jewish Voices For Peace, a non-violent Civil Rights organization, campaigned against the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), advocating that they sever ties with Israel and cease funding for the Law Enforcement Exchange. The ADL continues to be a staunch ally of Israel, however in 2020 a leaked document revealed that the organization hasn’t funded the Exchange Program since 2019. 

Israel remains the primary recipient of  foreign aid from the U.S. government  – more so than any other country in the world. In 2022, 99.7% of the $3.3. Billion foreign aid package was allotted for Israel’s military defense forces. Since October 2023, pro-Palestinian organizations, supporters, and collectives have been demonstrating in droves on a daily basis throughout the country. Despite protests and calls for the U.S. government to stop funding Israel’s military defense, as of February 2024, the United States Senate voted to pass a package that includes $14.1 billion in security assistance to Israel. 

Deadly Exchange Campaign 

In 2017,  Jewish Voices For Peace launched their active national political campaign “Deadly Exchange”, advocating for the cessation of the Law Enforcement Exchange program. According to the campaign, the program reinforces racial profiling, surveillance, and use of force tactics to be used against oppressed communities in Palestine, Israel, and the U.S.  The Durham police department, located in North Carolina, agreed to end police funding for the training in 2018, making them the first department in the country to do so. 

Conclusion

This deadly relationship between MPD and Israel continues to  have a severe impact on the material conditions of Black Washingonians. The trauma that’s caused by police terror that is taught in the Law Enforcement Exchange program in the city, negatively impacts the quality of life for Black communities in wards that are east of the river. Since D.C. police and other federal law enforcement entities refuse to end its oppressive relationship to Israel, local community organizations have formed D.C. Safety Squads, they’re an ecosystem of “trainers, mobile crisis teams and responders, base-building groups, and service providers. Our DC Harm Reduction and Rapid Response Team will mobilize instead of calling the police.” Their work is grounded in the intention of keeping marginalized communities safe from state violence.

In the beginning half of 2023, the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement and Black Lives Matter D.C. hosted several hybrid  “Cop Watch'' trainings, one was held at the Black Worker Wellness Center located in Southeast, D.C. Impacted communities are becoming more experimental with creating alternatives to policing that are grounded in love, community self-defense, and autonomy. Providing a glimmer of hope in a world of doom. 

How To Get Involved 

There is an active petition and campaign in D.C. to end MPD’s involvement with the exchange program called, “Occupation Free D.C.” Their call to action is listed below:

• Visit https://occupationfreedc.org/campaign to learn more about how to get involved in the Deadly Exchange campaign. 

• To learn more about Stop Police Terror Project’s “End Stop and Frisk” here and to support their campaign efforts visit: https://www.sptdc.com/nomorestopandfrisk