Submitted by UnkemptTide on Tue, 05/23/2006 - 10:33pm.
May 24 2006 - 11:00am
May 24 2006 - 5:00pm
Attend a vigil in protest of the convoys of military vehicles -
Strykers and other war machinery - using our town and our port as a launching point for the perpetuation of the illegal, immoral U.S. occupation of Iraq. The ship has not yet arrived and convoys are expected to continue through tomorrow. Stand with us as we make it clear that we do not consent to this war or the use of our port in its execution.
We will gather at 11AM tomorrow ,Wed, at the intersection of Plum and State - which the convoys pass through on their way to the port. Bring signs and banners.
See you there!
Drew Hendricks appeared in Thurston County Court at 3:30 pm today. He was arrested at 3:15 this morning at the Port of Olympia and is still in custody as of this writing. He is expected to be released at 7 pm. Drew is charged with 2nd degree trespass. He will be released on his own recognizance after his attorney verified his address. He is not required to pay bail. The judge restricted Drew from entering Port of Olympia property, at the request of the state. The judge did not specify how long this restriction would be in place.
Drew Hendricks is a committed Olympia CopWatch activist and host of Seeking Justice/Olympia CopWatch on Free Radio Olympia 98.5 Tuesdays at 5 pm. Drew is committed to keeping track of police activities and police violence, and CopWatch is the only organization that does so in the absence of a citizen review board in Olympia. Drew has covered many people's cases and their interactions with police, and police abuses in Olympia. Olympia, please return the favor and stand in support with Drew Hendricks now.
I appreciate the work Drew Hendricks does. I notice that there is a lot of misinformation and misunderstanding about his work. I also notice that for some reason people who disagree with his work, or with what they think is his work, often discard any semblance of civil discussion and instead go right for the insults.
Why?
I suggest that we stop assuming we know what Drew is doing, what any of us are doing, unless we hear the information directly from the source. I trust we can all have discussions, including fierce disagreements, without indulging in contests of who can spit out the worst insult.
I may not agree with everything Drew or anyone else does, and they certainly may disagree with me. But I support a free flow of conversation and discussion. Conversation and discussion that is not halted with personal attacks. Insults tend to do that, they either shut down the conversation entirely, or they take us all down to that level. Why play that game? Why not do the true work of discussion and debate, freely, in search of our commonalities and our differences? Along the way we can even dig below the rumors and assumptions and find out what really is going on.
For the first time in over nine years I am entertaining an old freind from the Tacoma/Puyallup area at our lovely docks & landings(near the viewing tower), and "lo and behold" a "zodiac"-style patrol boat is cruising the scene-- a coast guard unit, with a heavy machine gun deployed in the forward gun port (a tripod like gun mount in front of the pilot cabin). --this really shocked me! I had not expected to see that here in Olympia, and it was disgraceful. I expect our gov to protect civil liberties and freedom in the US and abroad, but not at gunpoint; without any sign of opposing forces present.
The Stryker, the combat vehicle of choice for the Army’s Interim Brigade Combat Teams (IBCTs), is a highly deployable-wheeled armored vehicle that combines firepower, battlefield mobility, survivability and versatility, with reduced logistics requirements.
I am with a group of students at Evergreen State College in Olympia who are traveling to South America at the end of September for six months to film a documentary throughout South America. We are looking for a person who is fluent in both Spanish and English to help conduct interviews. Film experience a plus. We would prefer somebody who is going to school or would be working with us for school credit. Respond as soon as possible, as we would like to include you in our planning and fundraising.
I just got a call from Maria Garner. At approximately 10:30am this morning, Nikki Miller, Holly Carter, Josh Elliott and Glen Anderson were arrested for being in the road in front of the Stryker brigade military convoy as it attempted to enter the Olympia port. They join Brendan Dunn, arrested yesterday, and Drew Hendricks, arrested this morning, in the growing number of Olympians who are taking a stand against our complicity with these military shipments, going to prolong an illegal and immoral war that everyday claims the lives of citizens and combatants.
According to police at the scene, Nikki, Holly, Josh and Glen are going to be held at Olympia City Jail (on Plum Street). People can call the jail at 753-8417 for updates.
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