Rashid: Striking abuses of militarized guards in Virginia prisons

Self-portrait by Kevin “Rashid” Johnson by Kevin ‘Rashid’ Johnson ”We want an immediate end to police brutality and murder of Black people, other people of color, and all oppressed people inside the United States.” – Point 7 of the 10 Point Program of the Revolutionary Intercommunal Black Panther Party Huey P. Newton made an accurate comparison when he stated that police in Black communities are an occupying army, no different from the foreign militaries that invade and occupy the communities of people of color in underdeveloped countries. Stan Goff, a retired member of the U.S. Army’s special operations units who has written many critiques and exposés on the crimes and imperialist bent of the U.S. military, made an equally important observation when he pointed out that every branch of domestic U.S. “law enforcement” aspires to be and imitates the U.S. military. This includes prison guards. Virginia’s militarized prison guards Within the Virginia prison system, which disproportionately targets communities of color, there operates a select group of guards who are both organized like and think themselves to be an elite military unit. They are called the ‘Strike Force’ or SRT group. They dress in special uniforms cut like military fatigues, tuck...