The Quiet Impact of Police Militarization on Civil Life
On May 15, 2025, the Peace Economy Project hosted a compelling and timely webinar titled “Militarization in Our Communities: Policing, Surveillance, and Civil Liberties.” The virtual event brought together advocates, experts, and concerned citizens to examine how systems of state power—especially policing—have increasingly adopted militarized tactics and technologies that contribute to police militarization, erode civil liberties, and harm communities, particularly those that are Black, brown, and marginalized.
Centering Justice, Not Control and Police Militarization
Katerina Canyon, Executive Director of the Peace Economy Project, opened the webinar with a clear call to action. “Peace is not just the absence of war,” she said. “It’s the presence of justice, opportunity, and collective care.”
Canyon laid out the purpose of the conversation: to explore how institutions that claim to protect public safety are often structured to surveil, control, and silence—not serve. The webinar is part of PEP’s broader mission to reallocate public resources away from militarism and toward community well-being.
Expert Perspectives on Police Militarization: From Theory to Real-Life Impact
The event featured two distinguished guests:
- Professor Alex Vitale, author of The End of Policing and Professor of Sociology at Brooklyn College, offered a powerful historical and policy analysis of how U.S. policing has evolved into a militarized force. Drawing on decades of research and activism, Vitale emphasized that reform alone is insufficient. “We must fundamentally rethink the role of policing in our society,” he said. “The goal should not be better policing—it should be less policing.”
- Chief Antoine Ensley, a veteran law enforcement officer and former Chief of Police in Fletcher, North Carolina, provided grounded insight from inside the system. Ensley reflected on his own transformation, from enforcing policies he later questioned to advocating for community-based approaches to public safety. “We need to demilitarize not just the weapons, but the mindset,” he said.
Police Militarization: Surveillance and Civil Liberties
A key theme of the conversation was the expansion of surveillance technologies in everyday life—from facial recognition and predictive policing software to the use of military-grade equipment by local police departments. Participants discussed how these tools are disproportionately deployed in communities of color, often without oversight or consent.
Vitale and Ensley agreed: technology does not make policing more just. In fact, it often deepens existing inequalities.
Community-Centered Safety
The speakers and participants returned often to the idea that true public safety cannot come from more weapons, more jails, or more surveillance. Instead, it comes from investing in the conditions that keep people safe in the first place—housing, mental health care, education, living-wage jobs, and strong community networks.
“We can’t just remove the bad actors,” said Canyon. “We have to change the entire system—what we fund, what we value, and who we believe deserves protection.”
What’s Next?
The webinar concluded with a call for continued dialogue and direct action. The Peace Economy Project will be releasing a podcast episode based on the event, and encourages supporters to:
- Advocate for local ordinances limiting police militarization and surveillance;
- Support organizations building alternatives to policing;
- Join upcoming PEP events focused on demilitarizing public life.
If you missed the webinar, stay tuned for the podcast release on our website.
Together, we can push for a society where peace is built through justice—not force.
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