[via omjp]

Contacts: Chance Kroll (510) 219-6155. Katee O (716) 479 2360.

COMMUNITIES RALLY TO PREVENT MILITARIZATION OF PUBLIC PORT

Tacoma, WA 7/31/08

On July 28, 2008, the USNS Brittin returned to the Port of Tacoma. This ship is transporting damaged equipment from the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team 2nd Infantry for repair and further deployment.

Community members, anti-port militarization activists and others from the peace and justice community of Washington and Oregon will descend on the Tacoma Federal Courthouse, 1713 Pacific Avenue, everyday from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm to demand the withdrawal of the military from this port. These peaceful, family friendly vigils will continue everyday until the equipment is gone. Others intend to quarantine the equipment in the Port. Demonstrators site a variety of new and exciting tactics to be used in opposition of the military use of this public port.

“We hope to create safe space for all to voice their opposition to these crimes against peace and to resist the use of public lands to enable a bloody occupation,” says Olympia Port Militarization Resistance member Patty Imani. Many demonstrators oppose the use of their community as a “revolving door” for military equipment that is being used to commit war crimes. Tacoma, the larger community, and the world asserts that this war violates international law as defined by the Nuremberg Charter and Principles.

In the past, similar peaceful Port Militarization Resistance demonstrations have been met with overwhelming police violence. Police have illegally used chemical weapons and “less than lethal weapons” on people whose only crime was to attempt to uphold international law.

In March of 2007, this equipment left the Port of Tacoma for Iraq. Resisters sought to prevent the material from leaving, in hopes that this would prevent the deployment of troops. Through the use of enormous and unnecessary violence, police eventually cleared a path for this equipment to board the ship. There were 37 arrests. The equipment now returns on the heels of the soldiers, who returned home last month. 37 of these soldiers lost their lives in Iraq.

This press release was written by representatives from PMR. PMR is action-based coalition of anti-war activists who refuse their community's complacency in illegal occupations by stopping the military use of their streets, people, resources, and public ports.