U.S. Democracy 17

The following sponsored email was sent to you by AlterNet on behalf of Congressman Hank Johnson:

Urgent Petition: DontMilitarizeMainStreet.com Dear AlterNet Reader, I’m outraged. The failure of the grand jury to indict Darren Wilson is a travesty of justice. And, the reaction of the police? The tear gas. The armored vehicles. The body armor. It’s the kind of action we expect from despotic governments, not the United States. We in Congress can’t fix the grand jury’s terrible decision, but what we can do is stop the militarization of our police. Join with me and sign my petition at DontMilitarizeMainStreet.com. Police don’t need more armored vehicles to enforce the law. They need the trust of our citizens. Police don’t need more grenade launchers. They need to build trust with people in our communities. Police don’t need more assault rifles. They need more accountability. I’m leading on this issue. I have introduced a bill in Congress to stop the militarization of our police. Both Republicans and Democrats alike are supporting this effort. Now, I need your support. Sign the petition now. As a nation, we need to have discussions to tackle difficult questions about how officers patrol communities, prevent crime, and arrest suspects. Seeing the way a militarized police confronted protestors after the murder of an unarmed teenager makes it clear to me we have more work to do – the struggle for equal justice under the law must continue. That's why Congress must pass our bill to stop the militarization of Main Street. We have some incredible news. Our bill to end Main Street militarization now has 45 co-sponsors and our own petition now has hundreds of signatures. And it’s not just Democrats. Republicans have joined our effort as well. Help put us over 2,500 signatures. Together, will pressure Congress to act! Our quest for justice continues. I hope you’ll stand with us. For justice, Hank Johnson