ICE Doubles Down on 'Blinding' While Calling It 'Non-Lethal'
📰 THE STORY: The Independent reveals that just four days after an anti-ICE protester was blinded by a pepper ball round, ICE purchased an additional $100,000 worth of these so-called 'non-lethal' projectiles, according to federal procurement data reviewed by the newspaper. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: This procurement echoes the federal law enforcement's response to the
2020 Black Lives Matter protests, where departments nationwide dramatically increased acquisitions of 'crowd control' weapons – tear gas, rubber bullets, and pepper balls – often deployed in ways that caused severe injuries, including permanent blindness and brain damage, documented by organizations like Amnesty International. These munitions are frequently mislabeled as 'safe' by manufacturers
and law enforcement, despite decades of evidence to the contrary from protests globally, from Seattle in 1999 to Ferguson in 2014. Double Standard: When police forces in countries like Venezuela are accused of using 'excessive force' or 'inhumane crowd control' tactics against protestors, Western media and governments are quick to condemn and impose sanctions. Yet, when US federal agencies like
ICE or local police blind, maim, or even kill protestors with these same types of weapons, the outrage is often muted, framed as 'isolated incidents,' or justified as necessary 'law enforcement functions,' conveniently ignoring the structural violence. For instance, the OAS report heavily criticized Bolivia's post-coup government in 2019 for similar actions, a condemnation rarely, if ever, seen