JVP activists demonstrated in front of the Anti-Defamation League’s Century City offices, protesting the ADL’s program between U.S. and Israeli law enforcement officials.
As part of a nationwide demonstration in 15 cities, on Nov. 8, more than 50 Jewish Voices for Peace (JVP) activists demonstrated outside the Century City Offices of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
The activists were protesting the ADL’s role in a joint U.S.-Israeli law enforcement officials exchange program.
Over the last decade, under the banner of counter-terrorism training, the ADL has brought more than 200 top-ranking U.S. law enforcement, including police chiefs and ICE officials to Israel to train with Israeli police, military and intelligence agencies. The ADL has also brought those same Israeli forces to train more than 1,000 US police, ICE and border officials in the U.S.
According to JVP, “these programs share dangerous tactics, technologies and practices in both directions: bringing paramilitary tactics to U.S. policing and broken windows discrimination to Israeli policing.”
In a letter delivered to ADL Director Jonathan Greenblatt, JVP Executive Director Rebecca Vilkomerson requested a meeting to discuss the demand that the “self-proclaimed civil rights organization put an end to these dangerous training programs that perpetuate discriminatory, repressive and violent policies in the U.S. and Israel.”
JVP was attempting to deliver petitions to the ADL offices last Wednesday, but the ADL refused to accept them. At a similar event in New York, seven activists were arrested trying to deliver their petitions.
In addition to attempting to deliver the petition at the Los Angeles ADL office, local coalition organization representatives spoke to the assembled activists on the links between policing in Los Angeles and what they termed the Israeli Occupation abroad.
Among the speakers were Mariella Saba, co-founder of Stop LAPD Spying Coalition; Socket Klatzker from Jewish Voice for Peace, Los Angeles; Michael Wilson from the Youth Justice Coalition; Rawan Tayoon, Chair of USC Students for Justice in Palestine and co-founder of Palestinians and Jews Decolonize; and Pilar Gonzalez, co-chair of the DSA-LA Immigration Justice Committee.
