In the second event (#2 below), held at 7:00 p.m. at King's Books in Tacoma (218 St. Helens Ave.), Richmond will screen the film he produced a few years ago, "Urban Warrior," on the history of the erosion of the separation of military from police forces in the United States from the 1980s to the present day. An attorney with a long background in civil rights activism, Richmond says that concerns about this development and others (like the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007, which passed the House with Norm Dicks's co-sponsorship and which is now in a Senate Committee) are the raison d'être of his candidacy.

Richmond is also strongly opposed to the Iraq war and supports a rapid withdrawal of U.S. forces. For more on his positions, see his

Paul Richmond is not the only challenger to Dicks, but he he believes he has a good chance to survive the August primary and appear on the November ballot. He's a serious candidate and deserves your consideration.

Although his candidacy has been 

***

1.

WHAT:  Forum on the War, the Economy, and Our Rights
WHO:  Paul Richmond, Robert P. Ericksen, and Sid Olufs
WHEN:  Friday, May 2, 2008 -- 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
WHERE:  Xavier 150 (near the library), Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma (Parkland), WA 98447

[Flier text]

Come learn about what you can be doing!

FORUM ON THE WAR, THE ECONOMY, AND OUR RIGHTS

** What do you know about the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act ? Presidential Directive 51? Have you even heard of them? If not, why not? **

Pacific Lutheran University
Xavier 150 — Friday, May 2 — 3:30-5:00 p.m.

New laws have been passed that threaten our liberties. The government can spy on us, lock us up, or take away our property. And for the first time in over a hundred years, they can now use the military against us.

Paul Richmond — Paul Richmond is a lawyer and media producer. He is author of "Waging War against Dissent" and the producer of the documentary film "Urban Warrior." (2002) He helped end a pilot project using National Guard to accompany police on drug raids, helped redistrict a police precinct with one of the highest shooting rates in the nation, and helped stop the University of Washington police from carrying M-16s. Paul Richmond is a candidate for Congress in Washington's 6th District, currently represented by Norm Dicks.

Robert Ericksen — Robert P. Ericksen is Kurtis R. Mayer Professor of Holocaust Studies and the author of Theologians under Hitler (Yale University Press, 1985); his work was the subject of Stephen D. Martin's recent PBS documentary "Theologians under Hitler: Could It Happen Again?"

Sid Olufs — Sid Olufs is professor of political science at Pacific Lutheran University and the author of The War against the Common Good (Chandler Sharp, 2006). Prof. Olufs will again teach POLS 401: The Iraq War in Fall 2008.

This forum is sponsored by the Pacific Lutheran University's Peace Studies Working Group and Students for Peace.

2.

http://www.ufppc.org/content/view/7381/

WHAT:  Showing and discussion of "Urban Warrior," a 2002 documentary about the WTO demonstrations in Seattle and the militarization of police forces in the U.S.
WHO:  Paul Richmond, candidate for Congress in Washington's Sixth District.
WHEN:  Friday, May 2, 2008 -- 7:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m
WHERE: : King's Books, 218 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma, WA

"URBAN WARRIOR" is a documentary film produced by Paul Richmond on the growing collaboration between the U.S. military and domestic law enforcement. The film charts this trend over the last three decades, and showcases in-depth case studies of militarized policing, from the Seattle WTO protests to the Elian Gonzales raid.

After a screening of the film, Paul Richmond will discuss the issues it raises and his challenge to the 67-year-old Norm Dicks, who has represented the 6th District for more than 30 years.

For more information on Richmond's challenge to Dicks, see here.

MORE ON THE FILM:

Within recent years, the formerly bright line separating U.S. military operations from domestic police work has become increasingly blurred.

The United States has traditionally recognized a separation of the roles and jurisdictions of its police and military forces. That role is eroding. In addition to providing weaponry and support, the military has also become directly involved in some domestic law enforcement operations. National Guard troops have accompanied state and local police on drug raids in many areas of the country. Delta Force soldiers provided assistance to law enforcement agencies at both Waco and the Seattle WTO protests, and select army units were put on stand-by for use in domestic counter-terrorism operations during the major political conventions.

“Urban Warrior” investigates the history of this trend, and examines its impact on civil liberties. The film highlights case studies of militarized policing ranging from the Seattle WTO protests, to the Elian Gonzalez raid, to the SWAT team shooting of Miami resident Richard Brown.

Accompanying the screening will be a presentation by Paul Richmond. In addition helping to coordinate much of the demonstrators legal support during the WTO, Paul Richmond has helped end a pilot program that had the National Guard accompanying police on drug raids and was instrumental in preventing the University of Washington Police from acquiring M-16s. Paul was a consultant and producer on Urban Warrior and author of the report "Waging War against Dissent." He is currently a Democratic Candidate in the 6th Congressional District challenging Norm Dicks.