Working to End Police Militarization
We are proud to honor Stop Urban Shield with the Volunteer Townie of the Year Award on June 20. (Join in the celebration!) Through years of organizing resulting in victory, Stop Urban Shield struck a massive blow to police militarization in the Bay Area and beyond. A coalition of grassroots organizations, they successfully ended Urban Shield, a highly militarized policing program and the largest SWAT training in the world run by the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office.
Timeline of Actions:
- 2012: Stop Urban Shield begins what will become years of grassroots organizing, legislative pressure, strategic media and communications, direct actions, and popular education to fight back against the police militarization.
- 2014: The coalition successfully compels the City of Oakland to no longer host the Urban Shield weapons exposition, garnering national attention to the racism and violence of the program.
- 2016: Stop Urban Shield organizes a massive statewide mobilization and direct action that shut down the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, successfully disrupting the Urban Shield weapons exposition and militarized training exercises taking place.
- 2018: After building broad community opposition in cities across the Bay Area, Stop Urban Shield successfully moved the Alameda County Board of Supervisors to end Urban Shield.
- 2019: The County reaffirms its decision to ultimately defund Urban Shield!
Join us in celebrating Stop Urban Shield and our other Townie Awardees – get your tickets today!
