Revolution#137, July 27, 2008
Powerful War Resistance in Olympia, Washington
“One thing I’ve always thought about growing up is, say if I was in Germany in the ’30s and the ‘40s, and knowing all that stuff was going on. What would I do in that situation? I want to say I would do everything I could and put my body on the line and take a risk to make sure that situation ended.... It seems that right now the United States empire is just as bad and on the verge of killing millions of people, so it’s our duty to do everything we can to stop it.”
Olympia port resister
speaking with Revolution
Over the past two years, Olympia, Washington, has been at the center of resistance to military shipments headed for the Iraq war. And port actions have also taken place in Tacoma and Aberdeen, Washington, and Oakland, California.
Hundreds of people have protested at the Olympia port, going up against the police who have used pepper spray, batons, and tasers against demonstrators. There has been police state surveillance, harassment, threats from reactionaries, and slander from the media. And dozens have been arrested.
Now, activists with the Port Militarization Resistance (PMR) and others are mobilizing another round of resistance in the Puget Sound area to oppose the expected return of Stryker Brigade vehicles from Iraq headed to nearby Ft. Lewis.
These port actions are aimed at stopping the Iraq war—not symbolic protests or actions that rely on the Democratic Party or the existing political framework. And these actions and others like them are crucial to support and spread.
Port Resistance and the Maneuverings of the State
“The stakes are high because what’s happening in Olympia with the port protests and other actions has not really happened anywhere else in the country. And I think the higher ups know that if this is able to spread, then that’s a big threat to imperialism.”
Student Olympia port resister
speaking with Revolution
Last November, dozens of activists blocked Styker Brigade vehicles returning to Ft. Lewis from Iraq through the port of Olympia. Others set up physical blockades on roads to stop equipment from moving. At one point, military vehicles were prevented from moving for up to 17 hours, and these actions went on for days. Police attacked protesters with pepper spray and other weapons, and 66 people were arrested.
The Daily Olympian (the main paper in town) has openly supported police brutality against protesters—calling for the city to prosecute people, publishing lists of those arrested, and printing calls from the police for people to identify protesters in police videotapes. Letters to editor and blogs in the Olympian have also become a forum for reactionaries to threaten protesters.
In the face of this, hundreds continued to rally in support of the port actions. In November, 100 people came to a city council meeting in Olympia to expose the brutality of the police against port demonstrators and hundreds protested in support of the port actions.
In May, Thurston County police and prosecutors announced a “zero tolerance” policy for anyone involved in “property damage and violence” arising from public demonstrations. After this, city officials announced they were bringing back charges against seven people from the November 2007 protests. One person re-charged was Shyam Khanna, who now faces charges of “third-degree assault and riot.” Shyam told Revolution that the police have repeatedly shown up to his apartment, videotaped him and friends, and followed, harassed, and threatened him as he walked around town. Other activists have had police cars sit outside their houses or been pulled over and harassed ,and there have been reports of police spying on email communications and surveilling car pools organized for protests.
The first of two trials of 22 people arrested in Olympia from 2006 protests resulted in a mistrial when a cop, who identified himself as being with Homeland Security, presented a copy of a confidential email sent between defense lawyers and defendants. Charges were dismissed against the protesters in the second trial when a judge found prosecutors guilty of “gross negligence” for failing to turn over discovery evidence to the defense.
Larry Hildes, a lawyer from the National Lawyers Guild (NLG), who is defending some of the activists, told Revolution that the FBI attempted to interview one defendant in jail. This activist’s notebook, with his anarchist political views, was photographed to be used as possible “evidence.” This is especially chilling in light of recent legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives, the “Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007.” This “thought crimes bill” is a major step toward making advocacy of radical, anti-government ideas and politics illegal in the name of the “war on terror.”
People in Olympia have continued to organize resistance in opposition to all these attacks. And it’s very important that the people facing charges are defended while more people are brought into opposition to all this repression. This type of resistance, like the actions earlier this year in Berkeley against the recruitment stations (See “The Battle of Berkeley Continues,” Revolution #134, June 29, 2008, and other coverage at revcom.us.) is very important to support and spread as part of fighting the power, and transforming the people, for revolution.
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