AFSC hosts Third Statewide Convening on Militarized Policing, Organizing, and AB 481

In July 2026, California Healing Justice convened the third statewide gathering of organizers, impacted families and advocates for police demilitarization, in the redwoods at the Ben Lomond Quaker Center, near Santa Cruz. It was two days of collaboration, joy and inspiration. 

California State law AB481 requires transparency and accountability for all California law enforcement agencies in using weapons categorized as “military equipment.” We have repeatedly seen law enforcement agencies treat our communities as spaces of war. Because of racial targeting, those harmed are disproportionately people of color. AB481 provides a vehicle for holding civilian elected officials as well as police accountable for these decisions.

The gathering had 35 people from across California: Sacramento, Chico, Orange County, Los Angeles, the Santa Cruz area and all around the Bay Area. Participants included members of Love Not Blood, made up of family members who lost a loved one to police killings. 

We learned from each other, made powerful connections, and offered a beautiful healing space to build community and share stories. Keynote speaker Adalberto Rios, AFSC Roots for Peace program director in Los Angeles, gave a riveting description of his accompaniment of youth impacted by police violence last year. 

We heard about amazing research, conducted workshops on advocacy – including a fun role play of a city council meeting - and discussed how will we build our own media to counter police narratives of militarization and violence. In a powerful sharing hour, participants showed vulnerability and shared deeply. 

A final session -- Where do we go from here? -- discussed the current state of our work for police demilitarization in California and how we will build together.

We are grateful to Berkeley Friends Meeting, which has supported this effort through a Travel Justice Fund, which made it possible for more than a dozen activists to attend, learn, and grow in person.

The AB481 network has three active workgroups:

1) Local group support

2) Narratives and media work to center community perspectives on policing

3) Research group to support data gathering on military equipment owned and used by law enforcement in California

Please contact jlindsay-poland@afsc.org if you are interested in being involved!