Eduardo Rodriguez / ERC Productions
CHICAGO (August 22, 2024) On the fourth and final night of the Democratic National Convention, activists from the American Friends Service Committee and the Chicago #StopShotSpotter Campaign projected a large message on the side of Chicago Stock Exchange. The message reads “Divest from policing and militarism! Invest in housing, education, and healthcare!”
In 2023, the United States approved $1,138,796,000,000 for the military, immigration enforcement agencies, policing, and incarceration. This “militarized spending” is 62% of the amount that Congress passed in their spending bills. That's billions of dollars that will be used to perpetuate violence rather than better health care, schools, and jobs.
Chicago is spending nearly two billion dollars on policing in 2024, while affordable housing is scarce, schools underfunded, and too many Chicagoans cannot access healthcare.
The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) is a Quaker organization that was founded in 1917 to support conscientious objectors in WWI. In the decades since the organization has been working for justice and peace in the U.S. and around the world, advocating for divestment from weapons and war and investment in community needs.
The Chicago #StopShotSpotter coalition is a Chicago based campaign that has worked hard to end Chicago's use of ShotSpotter. They are a branch of the national #StopShotspotter coalition.
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The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) promotes a world free of violence, inequality, and oppression. Guided by the Quaker belief in the divine light within each person, we nurture the seeds of change and the respect for human life to fundamentally transform our societies and institutions. We work with people and partners worldwide, of all faiths and backgrounds, to meet urgent community needs, challenge injustice, and build peace.