4th and Water Street - Downtown Olympia

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 of Color Coalition, Women’s Resource Center, Students Educating Students About the Middle East, Fellowship of Reconciliation, Olympia Movement for Justice and Peace, and others. For more info visit www.olypmr.org or email info@olypmr.org.

(Olympia, WA 10/25/08) 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.

Press Contacts:

Anna Marie Murano (360) 878-1401

Noah Sochet (510) 325-8138

Patty Imani (360) 866-6983

You're Invited.

Elegant food, great company, important cause.

The Twins Legal Defense Fund Presents: Food for Justice, a secret cafe benefiting local activists Katie and Patsy Hutchison.  

Saturday, June 28
We're open 5:00 to 10:00 pm
816 Rogers St. NW, across from the Westside Co-op
Bring your friends and family!

Katie and Patsy are being targeted for prosecution, alongside numerous other community members, for their efforts to stop military shipments at the Port of Olympia.  Funds raised will help cover legal expenses relating to their case.

Call for reservations, or just show up. 360-918-8665

See you there!

Civil Rights Leader, Leading Theorist of Nonviolent Activism to Speak at 7 p.m. on May 5 at Olympia’s Temple Beth Hatfiloh

(Olympia, Wash.) Civil rights leader and colleague of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rev. James M. Lawson will be speaking at 7 p.m. on Monday, May 5 at Temple Beth Hatfiloh, 201 8th Ave SE in Olympia. Rev. Lawson will talk about building a community that both values activism – to promote better quality of life and greater equity among citizens – and ensures civility and respect for the rights of all. The event is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by the City of Olympia, The Evergreen State College, The Hispanic Women’s Network, Olympia Fellowship of Reconciliation, Olympia Movement for Justice and Peace, participating members of Olympia Port Militarization Resistance, The Port of Olympia, Unity in the Community, and Veterans for Peace. For directions to the temple, visit www.bethhatfiloh.org/directions.html

Lawson is a leading figure in the civil rights movement. On the eve of his assassination, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called Lawson "the leading theorist and strategist of nonviolence in the world."

I sure like the open government laws. When citizens dig and request information we truly find out what our elected and appointed officials are doing. Story from the TNT:

The Port of Tacoma finds itself apologizing to the Port of Olympia and others after internal e-mails revealed Tacoma port staff withholding public information, insulting the Olympia port and calling people derogatory names.

The e-mails were discovered this week as the Tacoma port reviewed documents in response to public records requests, including one from Friends of Rocky Prairie, a citizens group opposed to the development of the South Sound Logistics Center in Thurston County. The Tacoma and Olympia ports have partnered in proposing the controversial rail center and industrial park.

The 40-plus binders of documents the port prepared for the group included embarrassing e-mails sent between Port of Tacoma staff and from port staff to port consultants.

www.thenewstribune.com

The Port of Tacoma has bought a 745 acre parcel of Rocky Prairie land located right in the middle of a sensitive area with Millersylvania State Park less than half a mile to the north and a state fish and wildlife reserve bordering it on the south. For 15 years, the state park and the wildlife dept have had their eye on this property, which, in combination with the neighboring McIntosh forest reserve, would create an amazing wildlife corridor and preserve several threatened native species. But the Port of Tacoma outbid them and wants to build a huge truck and train freight transfer station and possibly a solid waste transfer site (hauling garbage from all over the region) right in the middle of this precious swatch of undeveloped land.

If you have further questions please check out www.FriendsOfRockyPrairie.com or email forprairie@hotmail.com.

Please, if you can make it show up and show your support. For info on how to help check out this site or email alex.bertolucci -- at -- gmail -- dot -- com.

Sponsored by: The Center for Community Based Learning and Action and the Peoples Legal Defense Fund

WHERE: The Olympia Center - 222 Columbia St NW in downtown Olympia

WHAT: This will be a moderated conversation for the whole community on what happened at the port and why. Various groups will be represented and willing to answer questions. The goal is to achieve some closure on the events around the protests and to move into the future, not divided, but as a community.

Hope to see you all there.

[Phan Nguyen's op-ed in today's Olympian:]

For two weeks in November, the Port Militarization Resistance (PMR) confronted war operations in Olympia's backyard. Depending on one's perspective, it was either a show of the determination of concerned residents standing up to an illegal and immoral war and occupation, or it was simply all hell breaking loose. The perspective depends on what one chooses to focus on.