Police violence against US residents occupied public attention in the summer of 2020. As people filled the streets to protest the murder of George Floyd, police utilized gear from the military and private suppliers, firing tear gas and rubber bullets, and deploying drones and helicopters to surveil and disperse protests.
Between May 25 and June 20, 2020, police utilized at least 17 Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles (MRAPs) through a controversial Pentagon military surplus program established under President Clinton: the Department of Defense 1033 Program. The 1033 Program, named for the section that created it in the 1997 National Defense Authorization Act, allows for the transfer of surplus US military equipment to US law enforcement agencies and subsequently allows gross overuse of such equipment against civilians. The DLA states that the 1033 program is “dedicated to providing service to the Law Enforcement community by transferring excess equipment ‘from the Warfighter to the Crimefighter,’” exemplifying this pipeline between the institutions of the US military and US police.