Olympia Port Militarization Resistance (OlyPMR) is organized to end our community's participation in the illegal occupation of Iraq by stopping the U.S. Military's use of the Port of Olympia.
Your donations are urgently needed for legal defense! Please click below to donate directly to the Oly PMR Legal Fund.
Breaking 5/12
The Green Dale has docked at the Port of Tacoma, likely to load Strykers. Stay tuned!
RALLY & DEMONSTRATION TO END WAR NOW!
Friday May 8th, 2009
Rally at 4:30 pm – Federal Court House - Tacoma
Demonstration & March at 8:00 pm - Fife
Tacoma, WA – The U.S. is sending additional troops and equipment to Afghanistan while at the same time continuing its illegal and immoral war on, and occupation of, Iraq. The Obama Administration is escalating the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan, which is resulting in untold civilian deaths while destabilizing the neighboring country of Pakistan. It is also now evident that the U.S. is preparing for a long-term military occupation of Iraq. These wars must end now!
Rally: A rally is planned for 4:30 p.m. on Friday, May 8, 2009, at the Tacoma Federal Courthouse steps, 1713 Pacific Avenue, to hear speakers and to peacefully demonstrate against the Afghanistan troop surge and military equipment being deployed from the Port of Tacoma. Everyone is invited to join this family friendly event with voices, signs, and conviction. The message to the Obama Administration and to the Congress is to “End the Wars Now!”
Demonstration and March: A Demonstration and March against militarization of the Port of Tacoma, sponsored by Port Militarization Resistance, will follow at 8:00 p.m. beginning at the Corner of 54th Ave. and Pacific Highway in Fife, WA (just off I-5 at Exit #137 - in front of the Poodle Dog Restaurant).
Press Release 5/3 - It's ON
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Protesters are resisting the US Military surge in Afghanistan by blocking Stryker Vehicles bound for the Port of Tacoma for shipment overseas.
May 3, 2009
Contacts:
Kelly Beckham (360) 489-9429
Noah Sochet (510) 325-8138
Shyam Khanna (413) 461-6485
Tacoma, WA – Activists staged a series of successful direct actions in several locations on the night of May 2, blocking striker vehicles bound for the Port of Tacoma from Fort Lewis. Blockades halted strikers at several points along Interstate 5, and 11 activists were arrested. Demonstrators have pledged to continue resisting the use of the port for war shipments.
The Stryker vehicles were heading to the Port of Tacoma for eventual shipment to Afghanistan in advance of the deployment of the 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, where soldiers' skills and lives would be exploited in the name of the "War on Terror."
At times police used excessive force against unarmed nonviolent demonstrators. One woman was choked on the strap of her messenger bag while another demonstrator was dragged across the road by his hair while he was shouting that he was nonviolent.
Port Militarization Resistance (PMR) has been actively resisting the use of the publicly owned ports in the Pacific Northwest since 2006. PMR demonstrators share a common goal to "end our community's participation in the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan by stopping the military use of our Ports."
According to Chris Grande, one of those arrested May 2, “people in Iraq and Afghanistan are being massacred. We cannot trust the Obama Administration to do this work for us. It is up to people in the US to be involved in the process of military deescalation. If we allow strykers to enter the port we are complicit in their violence.”
“The police may see our actions as criminal, but the real crime is the illegal invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq and their continued occupation,” adds Ellis, a demonstrator.
In a statement issued March 18th, Port Militarization Resistance noted that “as long as US military attacks continue against the people of Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, we will continue to block military equipment from moving through our public port. Port Militarization Resistance calls for people everywhere to find the ways that their own communities participate in these wars, and join together to creatively resist that participation.
"We must respect the sovereignty of other peoples and recognize that US intervention is a primary source of ongoing human suffering in these countries. Resources currently allocated for such imperial endeavors must be redirected toward urgent domestic needs. These realities should guide our understanding as we build a just and sustainable society at home and better relationships abroad."
Resistance is ongoing. Demonstrators are available to speak with the press.
More information can be found at www.OlyPMR.org, and donations can be made to the legal defense fund by visiting that site or by check to
Port of Olympia Legal Defense Fund
PO Box 295 Olympia, Washington 98507-0295
IMPORTANT: Note in your donation that your funds are intended for the Port of Tacoma demonstrators.
Meeting 5/3
Breaking 5/2
Two successful blockades! More to come! Come to CoffeeStrong to help!
Update 5/1
BREAKING NEWS:
LAKEWOOD, WA -- As citizens converge on Fort Lewis to resist the
deployment of Stryker vehicles to Iraq and Afghanistan, police have
stepped up their interference with the legal activities of activists and
bystanders. As of 11:40 pm police and stopped numerous vehicles and
detained their drivers and passengers, demanding to know their intentions
and activities.
11:36 p.m: police are stopping vehicles at Exit 122 for questioning. As of
11:32 p.m., police are blocking Exit 122. Movement looks imminent. The
presence of military and civil police has been reported as of 11:15 p.m.
at Gate 122 on Berkeley Street in Fort Lewis, also known as Freedom
Bridge.
A Stryker brigade began deployment to Afghanistan from Fort Lewis tonight,
Friday, May 1. Olympia Port Militarization Resistance (PMR) and Tacoma PMR
are organizing blockades and coordinating direct action in order to delay
or completely halt the deployment.
No Strykers have been observed leaving Gate 122 yet, although at 11 p.m. a
convoy of 15 vehicle and escort truck and trailers only were seen leaving
the exit.
Strykers, also known as 'IAV Stryker' vehicles, are the primary mechanized
tools used by ground forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. PMR seeks to prevent
the shipment of Strykers and other military equipment through the use of
direct acts, such as blockades.
As the Obama administration continues the war on Iraq and escalates the
war in Afghanistan, opposition to U.S. imperialism only becomes more
urgent, especially in the face of the failure of politicians to bring the
wars to an end. Citizens who oppose U.S.-sponsored violence abroad are
left with one option: to physically block the war machine. PMR actions put
direct economic strain on the governments that support these wars and
place direct social pressure on the politicians that continue them. At a
time when rampant foreclosures affect families across the nation and the
federal government still chooses to increase the military budget for these
wars of occupation, it is up to our communities to resist US imperialism.
Port Militarization Resistance formed in May 2006, after a series of
non-violent blockades delayed the shipment of Stryker vehicles leaving the
Port of Olympia for Iraq. In 2007, PMR was involved with protests against
the use of public ports to transport military vehicles to Iraq from Tacoma
and Aberdeen. At the end of 2007, a Stryker brigade returning to Ft. Lewis
from Iraq was blockaded at the Port of Olympia, the longest blockade
lasting 17 hours. In August of 2008, PMR blockaded military equipment
returning from Iraq at three different entrances to Ft. Lewis.
PRESS CONTACTS:
Kteeo Olejnik, 716-479-2360
Shyam P. Khanna, 415-235-2188
Lauren Takores, 203-506-3644
Collin Dahl-Veenstra, 208-484-4497
OlyPMR Will Block Shipments to Afghanistan
Olympia PMR will block shipments to Afghanistan
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 19, 2009
Resistance to war in Afghanistan declared in Olympia, Washington
“As long as US military attacks continue against the people of Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, we will continue to block military equipment from moving through our public port.” – Olympia Port Militarization Resistance
With the announcement of President Obama’s plans to escalate the US war in Afghanistan, Olympia Port Militarization Resistance gathered to affirm its commitment to engage in nonviolent civil resistance in order to block military shipments from moving through the Port of Olympia. Previously OlyPMR was focused on blocking shipments to Iraq, but now recognizes the importance of blocking shipments destined for Afghanistan and Pakistan as well.
Subsequently, the revised OlyPMR mission statement reads:
“The goal of Olympia Port Militarization Resistance is to end our community’s participation in imperialist wars and occupations abroad, including Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, by stopping the US Military’s use of the Port of Olympia.”
Within five days of the President’s announcement, a coalition of dozens of grassroots groups around the country quickly organized a campaign demanding congressional hearings on Afghanistan. But in the South Puget Sound region of Washington State, many antiwar activists are convinced that demands alone are insufficient.
Deployments of three Stryker Brigade Combat Teams, based at Ft. Lewis, are scheduled for later this year. One deployment is destined for Afghanistan, while the other two will be deployed to Iraq. In anticipation of the equipment being shipped through regional ports, a concerted campaign of resistance has been formulated.
OlyPMR was formed in May 2006 when – after two years of reliance upon more traditional expressions of opposition to the war shipments – local citizens decided to employ tactics involving more direct forms of action, such as using human blockades to stop convoys of Stryker vehicles and other equipment. Since May 2006, there have been 155 arrests related to attempts to stop military shipments from nearby Ft. Lewis through the ports of Olympia, Tacoma, and Aberdeen – gaining national and international attention.
Just as the US invaded and occupied Iraq under false pretenses, the 9/11 attacks have been used as a pretext in the pursuit of US domination in Afghanistan and Pakistan. History has illustrated that interventions in the region have brought disastrous consequences. In the context of a struggling economy, domestic crises, soaring deficits fed by war spending, and ever rising numbers of war dead, a significant military escalation would likely prove catastrophic.
On March 18, 2009, the eve of the six-year anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq, OlyPMR issued this statement:
"As long as US military attacks continue against the people of Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, we will continue to block military equipment from moving through our public port. Olympia Port Militarization Resistance calls for people everywhere to find the ways that their own communities participate in these wars, and join together to creatively resist that participation.
"We must respect the sovereignty of other peoples and recognize that US intervention is a primary source of ongoing human suffering in these countries. Resources currently allocated for such imperial endeavors must be redirected toward urgent domestic needs. These realities should guide our understanding as we build a just and sustainable society at home and better relationships abroad."
Rally in Tacoma - 4/17 - 11:30am
Port Militarization Resistance (PMR) has organized a rally in response to the appearance of at least 130 Strykers in the Port of Tacoma. This rally will occur at the foot of the staircase in front of the University of Washington Tacoma campus on Pacific Ave between 17th and 19th St. at 11:30am Friday, April 17.
These Strykers appeared in the Port on April 15 and it is believed they are headed to Fort Lewis for repairs to be shipped back to a war zone at a later date. The return of these vehicles enables the deployment of three more Styker brigades to Afghanistan. It is our intention to prevent the shipment of these vehicles through the use of blockades or other means.
As the Obama administration furthers the war on Iraq and escalates the war in Afghanistan, it is important to take a stand against US imperialism. PMR puts direct economic strain on the governments that support these wars and places direct social pressure on the politicians that continue them as well. At a time when rampant foreclosures affect families across the nation and the federal government still chooses to increases the military budget for these wars of occupation, it is up to our communities to stop acts of U.S. imperialism.
Mark your calendar!
Solidarity March!
A March against War and in Solidarity with the ♀ly-26
No Persecution! No Prosecution! The War is Criminal - Not the People
Saturday, November 15th
1 PM: Gather at Sylvester Park (Capitol & Legion Way) in Olympia
On November 15th our community will come together to march against the Bush Government’s perpetration of war and torture on the world’s People. We will march in memory of those who have died. We will march in solidarity with the members of our community who came together in order to stop more from dying.
One year ago 39 women linked arms and sat down in a peaceful and courageous act of nonviolent resistance to demonstrate against the use of our public resources for war and torture. Though the women remained peaceful themselves, they were consistently threatened with chemical assault weapons and physical violence by armed police. Outrageously, 26 of these peacemakers are today being unjustly targeted for prosecution by our public officials.
We will not stand by as our public resources are used for war and torture! And we will not stand by as or our public monies are used to persecute our daughters, sisters and mothers for exercising their constitutional rights and following their moral imperative to nonviolently resist war and torture! Where the Bush Administration is guilty of war crimes; where the perpetrators of war and torture go free, the ♀ly 26, women of our community, are being unjustly prosecuted for peaceful acts of humanity. It is the war that is criminal — not the peacemakers!
To ensure the change we want for our futures, we must continue to say no to those who stand for war. And we must say no to the persecution and prosecution of those who stand for peace. Tragically, our local prosecutors have exclusively targeted women, people of color and members of the gay community for participating in, and observing, non-violent direct actions during anti-war port protests. In an effort to repress dissent amongst those who have the most to gain in exercising their civil rights, amongst those who have been historically denied equal civil rights—our public officials appear to be punishing select individuals simply for having the courage to exercise their hard won constitutionally protected rights to protest.
On November 15th, 39 years to the day when 250,000 marched on DC in protest of the Vietnam war, and nearing the end of Bush’s criminal reign—we call for solidarity from our community to, again, march against war and torture - and to march in solidarity with those who work for peace.
March called by Olympia Movement for Justice & Peace and members of the♀ly 26.
Note from the Breakfast Underground: Vegan Breakfast to Support Port Protesters!
Sunday 9 November at 519 Puget, Olympia, WA.
Hey there,
In light of the sentences handed down surrounding the port mobilization actions (and the hefty fine accompanying them), our house is throwing a vegan support breakfast to raise some aid.
What! A sumptuous vegan breakfast with a $3-5 sliding scale entry donation. Folks are encouraged to add to the bounty with potluck goods, music, jokes about McCain's goiter, whatever.
When!: This Sunday, November 9th at 12ish.
Where!: 519 Puget St. downstairs, we're a little black house...it's hard to miss us.
Who!: The breakfast underground is anybody and everybody who enjoys thrifty dumpstering and squandering of ill-gotten food stamps on worthy causes with delicious vegan food.
Why!: Because we've got empty bellies and full hearts!
RSVP if you can, the better idea we have of the amount of folks, the less likely there will be a riot in response to the shortage of waffles.
Seriously, tell err'body you know. If this goes well, this could be a wonderful way to not only foster conscious community but to support various causes that need aid.
Support Vigil - Women Opposed to War - Please Come and Support the Oly 26
Friday, November 7 from 4pm - 6pm
4th and Water Street
At the "Women’s Action" on Nov 13th, 39 women and 4 men were arrested at the Port of Olympia for trying to end the use of our port to support the Iraq War. 26 of these people are now facing charges by Thurston County District Court; 25 of them are women.
These women, and the men who supported them, took a courageous nonviolent stand to end the war in Iraq in solidarity with Iraqi women. Please bring signs supporting them and join the vigil with Fellowship of Reconciliation and other community organizations.
Endorsed by LBC, Olympia Port Militarization Resistance, Women’s Resource Center, Students Educating Students About the Middle East, Fellowship of Reconciliation, Olympia Movement for Justice and Peace, and others.
NEWS
The first arraignment for the defendants of the Oly 26 begins tomorrow!
Olympia: 9 November 2008
The Oly 26 are 25 women and 1 man, who, along with hundreds of other concerned residents, demonstrated against the Port of Olympia’s militarization in Nov. 2007. One year later, these 26 have been singled out for charges of “Attempted(!) Disorderly Conduct” and “Obstruction.”
The arraignments for the 26 have been split up into 6 dates, alternating between Mondays and Wednesdays for the next three weeks. The first five defendants are being arraigned tomorrow. BE A SPORT AND SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR THOSE IN COURT WHO FOUGHT THE PORT!
Here are the complete arraignment dates:
Monday, Nov. 10, 9:30 AM
Wednesday, Nov. 12, 10 AM
Monday, Nov. 17, 9:30 AM
Wednesday, Nov. 19, 10 AM
Monday, Nov. 24, 9:30 AM
Wednesday, Nov. 26, 10 AM
The City of Olympia passed the buck to Ed Holm's (Thurston Co.) Office. So these cases are being held at Thurston County District Court, located at:
THURSTON COUNTY COURTHOUSE
2000 Lakeridge Drive SW, Building 3
Olympia, WA 98502
See you there!
Women Targeted for Prosecution in Non-Violent Port Protests
Olympia: 25 Oct 2008
Prosecutors have brought charges against twenty-six people arrested during a non-violent women's protest in November, 2007.
Thoughtful, Moral Demonstrations
For two weeks in November, hundreds of demonstrators blocked military equipment from moving through their publicly owned port. On November 13th, 39 women were arrested during a non-violent demonstration in solidarity with each other, women nationally, and the women in Iraq.
Patty Imani, one of those charged, said Friday: "Thousands of women have been killed in Iraq. It's obscene that the city's response is to jail those of us who were only trying to stop more from dying."
The women in Olympia saw the suffering that the United States' occupation of Iraq was causing, to the Iraqi people and particularly to the women of Iraq. The protest was carefully planned to bring attention to how the war has effected the lives of women in Iraq and the United States.
Inappropriate Prosecution
The City has waited nearly a year to bring these charges, and has suspiciously brought these new charges less than a week after their other cases against port protesters were dismissed. Also, prosecutors have a history of targeting women and people of color in protest cases. Twenty-six demonstrators have been singled out for prosecution, 25 of whom are women.
A Call for Solidarity
Those being prosecuted are calling for solidarity and support from all those who are concerned that women and people of color are being targeted for carrying out their constitutionally protected right to non-violently dissent.
Defendants are available to speak to the press.
Your donations are urgently needed for the defense of the Oly 26! Please click below to donate directly to the Oly PMR Legal Fund.
Victory in Court! Kathleen Hutchison's Unjust Case Dismissed!
Olympia: 19 September 2008
After testimony today, Katie Hutchison's case has been dismissed! Many thanks to Larry and Karen and everyone who's been so supportive through this process.
As many will remember, Katie was arrested while imploring the police to provide medical attention to her twin sister Patsy who had been brutalized.
In the end, the judge seemed to agree with our assertion that there was a video tape taken by the police that contained exculpatory evidence, and that the police had destroyed that tape.
Larry and Karen represented this case excellently and charged a nominal fee, so they're hurting for cash. Please donate if you can!
Port of Tacoma 2008: A day by day break down of what happened
Tacoma and Ft. Lewis, WA: 8 August 2008
As the 4th Stryker Brigade 2nd Combat Infantry Division returns to Ft. Lewis through the Port of Tacoma, people from throughout the Northwest have taken Direct Action to blockade the paths of these stryker vehicles. 15 arrests so far have been made during blockades attempted at both the Port of Tacoma and Ft. Lewis and in general resistance to the militarization of publicly owned ports and our communities at large.
The intended effect of these demonstrations is to raise the social and economic cost of the war. The excessive security costs caused by the protests cut away at the profits made by accepting military shipments and make ports less likely to accept shipments in the future. After the Port of Olympia demonstrations, the military reimbursed the port for security costs. Steve Hall, City Manager for the City of Olympia, announced after similar protests at the Port of Olympia, that the city would be unprepared to accept another military shipment without calling in the national guard. We are told that these actions taken to blockade military shipments in the North West have inspired others in the anti-war movements across the country take more radical and direct action to have a concrete impact on stopping the war. If so much resistance was shown in every port in the country in response to every military shipment, the war would be impossible to continue.
Demonstrations at the Port of Tacoma began the day the USS Brittin, the boat carrying 900 stryker vehicles, arrived on Tuesday, July 29th. On Thursday, July 31st, there was a march of approximately 40 people into the port. Two women, Kelly Beckham and Kteeo, were arrested. After seeing strykers driving down a nearby cross street and out of the port Beckham and Kteeo took off running to catch up with them. The two women were followed by their fellow demonstrators and about 15 police officers on bikes. The officers beat Beckham and Kteeo to the strikers and formed a line. Beckham and Kteeo along with about 20 other demonstrators stood in front of the line of cops. Beckham was pulled across the police line and arrested. Kteeo was pulled across the police line by her hair, slammed to the ground, lifted up in a head lock then slammed down again. Police then kneeled on her back. This all happened while she loudly repeated "I'm not resisting arrest." Beckham is being charged with obstruction and property destruction. Kteeo is being charged with obstruction and resisting arrest.
Friday night, August 1st, protesters effectively blocked a convoy of military equipment on Freedom Bridge at the 122 exit to a gate into Ft. Lewis, the military base where the strykers were based. Three were arrested during this action, including one person who was arrested for asking an officer what his badge number was. The police were taken by surprise, and soon approximately 20 to 30 police cars arrived from three different departments. Later that night, a truck transporting military equipment was blocked on another bridge at a gate to Ft. Lewis, exit 123. There were 7 people blocking the bridge, with maybe 10 more demonstrating on the sidewalk. 3 were arrested.
August 2nd, late at night, a lock down blocked the off ramp to the main gate of Ft. Lewis, exit 120, stopped a trunk transporting a Stryker vehicle for twenty minutes. Three people were in lockboxes, a device made out of PVC piping and other materials by which they locked their arms to each other. These protesters were removed from the gate and brought to a field. The protesters still refused to move from the devices for another 2 and a half hours. During this time the police attempted a multitude of tactics in attempts to remove the protesters. These included but were not limited to, calling in the fire department to remove the demonstrators from their devices (the department refused to touch the protesters), calling in two specialist (who could not solve the “problem”), googling lockboxes (which yielded no results). After these attempts and two and a half hours, the protesters, tiring of police shenanigans, decided to release themselves.
While in jail protester Patty Imani was subjected to discrimination and psychological abuse. The police began her booking process, asking her standard questions. Jailers refused to accommodate Imani's hearing impairment, while claiming Imani was not complying in answering interview questions she could not hear, and put her into solitary confinement. Jailers refused to continue her booking until she became "more cooperative". Imani was released 15 minutes after the police finished her booking, eight hours after she was originally arrested.
After the blockade was broken, a car full of activists was detained by military police for an hour and a half at the gates of Fort Lewis. There were perhaps three jurisdictions there, including Lakewood Police, Washington State Patrol, and Fort Lewis Police. It seems that while they were turning around, one of the departments ran their license plate and a red flag came up indicating that they were protesters. A lieutenant and sergeant personally supervised the detainment. The five in the car had their information taken down, were told they were would arrested by military police if they ever returned to Fort Lewis, and were given tickets for failure to proof insurance and failure to proof registration. A police dog sniffed their car. An officer, while on the phone, was overheard explaining that a drug dog would help establish probable cause for a full search of the car. They kept refusing a search, and eventually were let go.
This is the first time the port militarization resistance movement actively resisted at a military base. Over the past year since the last port militarization resistance demonstrations at the Port of Tacoma, the police have had time to review and readjust their tactics in dealing with the demonstrators. Taking the resistance to Fort Lewis was in response to the changing tactics of the police. The police were taken by surprise by this change in tactics and venue and were less prepared to respond.
Sunday, August 3rd, demonstrators, knowing that police expected them at night, broke with their pattern and showed up in the middle of the day. 20 people demonstrated for most of the day inside the “free speech zone” designated by the police. In the late afternoon, as people began to leave, there was about 10 to 15 demonstrators left. Two police cars drove into the designated free speech zone. Demonstrators sanding near one of the cars were told by an officer, driving car number 773, that he was going to taser one of them. He brandished his weapon and pointed it at them. There demonstrators were breaking no laws or posing any threat to the officer at the time. The officer turned around towards Forest Student, a demonstrator standing alone several feet away from the police car. Forest Student was tasered twice, once while standing and again after hitting the ground. Student was then arrested for third degree assault, a charge that was then dropped. Eye witness testimony proves Student’s arms were crossed and he was not threatening the officer at all. The officer was sitting in his car at the time and tasered him through the window.
On Monday August 4th 40 people marched down to the port carrying banners and chanting. The group marched down the middle of a major street through the port. Eventually they were pushed to the side walk outside of an entrance to the port. The group waited beside the gate, determined to prevent military equipment from leaving the quay. At one point during the night the Tacoma Police Department walked around behind the group, specifically targeting Joe LaSac, the groups’ only videographer. He was grabbed and arrested for “trespassing.” As demonstrators moved closer to watch the arrest, members of TPD surrounded the group, pointing tasers at them on two sides.
As demonstrators were leaving the port, they were surrounded by police cars. The demonstrators were not able to access their vehicles for a period of time. While the demonstrators attempted to figure out an exit strategy the police turned on their lights and sirens as an intimidation technique. The demonstrators made it out of the port safely.
A Tacoma Municipal Judge later ordered that the Police return the camera but not the film, stating it could be used as 'evidence'. It is probable the film will be used to ID anti-war activists for unconstitutional surveillance purposes.
Port of Olympia Activists arrested in November still need your help. Please donate to the Legal Defense Fund: