This is not really a local story, but I think it could have local implications. I recently came across this website Moblogic.tv. Don't take this post the wrong way, I am not posting to drive hits to another site. I think they covered the Sean Bell story from a very interesting angle that no other media source has. I urge you to watch both parts of this. Also we have been talking a lot lately about non violent protest, and this was the model example of just that.

Part 1

Part 2

Interesting read from one of the show's producers can be found here: http://www.moblogic.tv/blog/2008/05/11/safe-havens-for-crackpots/

May Day 2008 in Olympia Washington went down with a bang when a (fractional) faction of the protest turned violent. Members of the "Black Bloc" threw rocks at several windows on at least two different bank buildings. Bank employees and customers were inside the buildings when this happened.

I was there - the whole afternoon. Up until the broken windows, the protests were peaceful and nonviolent. Although some of the speeches made me uncomfortable, and some of the speakers made statements that I certainly wasn't in complete agreement with, I felt enough solidarity to stick with the protest even after the Capitol Building was defaced with graffiti.

In fact, I wasn't really uncomfortable with the demeanor of the protest (besides the graffiti on the Capitol Building) until about 10 minutes prior to the first rock throwing incident. I noticed feelings of discomfort in regard to the tone of the protest when a certain vocal group (identity unknown to me) decided to lead the march down a one-way street directionally opposed to the flow of traffic. This move seemed somewhat unsafe, and it also seemed antagonistic toward drivers on 4th Ave, who had varying degrees of understanding about, and appreciation for, the protesters who were marching. I would have felt more comfortable and would have preferred, for example, to take State Ave. West, instead of marching in opposition to the one-way flow of traffic, and then to do a loop back toward the East on 4th Ave. My discomfort makes me curious; I wonder if anyone else was made uncomfortable by this decision to march against the flow of traffic. I was also additionally uncomfortable with the antagonistic and hostile chanting (yelling) of the slogan "Tear it down". Does that slogan possibly scare people and does it turn people off to the movement?

Father Ray Bourgeios graced Olympia Washington with several appearances, including one at Traditions Fair Trade Café, during a visit on April 10th, 2008.

Father Bourgeois delivered a wonderful presentation. He spoke for over an hour about his work with the School of Americas Watch movement.

The School of Americas is located on Fort Benning, in Georgia. The School has been renamed and is now called WHINESEC (Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation). The school's mission and objectives have not changed, however.

The school is actively involved in providing special training to the military forces of Latin American nations. Some of the military personnel that have studied at the School of Americas are known to have committed atrocities.

From the SOA Website: On November 16, 1989, six Jesuit priests, their co-worker and her teenage daughter were massacred in El Salvador. A U.S. Congressional Task Force reported that those responsible were trained at the U.S. Army School of the Americas (SOA) at Ft. Benning, Georgia.

Please see www.soaw.org for more information.

The SOAW movement has grown from a tiny group of individuals into a national and international call to shut down the School of Americas.

photos on the flipside

Jeff Brigham:

"Olympia Police Officers Job Well Done! Thank You!"

I received this announcement via email:

This Saturday (1/19): a very engaging workshop... okay to just "show up"

The Philosophy of Nonviolence - a Strategy for Complete Freedom from Oppression

A special MLK workshop. Explore the philosophy of nonviolence as Mahatma Gandhi worked it out. Dare to live by the fundamental principles that he put into practice and learn to be truly free. To live by them is to throw off all oppression, internal and external, regardless of the situation.Work through these principles in depth in the morning, and explore how we can apply them in our lives in the afternoon. It is a challenge worthy of our potential. With Rod Davis, Ph.D.

Saturday, Jan. 19, 9:30 AM to 4 PM, at The United Churches (downstairs in the Purple Room), corner of Capitol Blvd. and 11th Ave. in Olympia, Sliding Scale Fee: $25 - $100/person

Details
"The language we use affects how we think which in turn affects how we feel and act. Dr. Marshall Rosenberg has developed a simple yet radical communication process, Nonviolent Communication(sm), aka NVC(sm), with the potential for changing how others hear and respond to us (without defensiveness or blame) and how we view others and ourselves (without blame, shame or criticism). This workshop offers instruction, discussion, experiential learning, and the opportunity for you to decide if this process fits for you."

I thought some of you might have an interest in the next Ground Zero Nonviolent Direct Action, a commemoration of the life of MLK jr. For more information see: www.gzcenter.org

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Share the Dream of
A World Without War

Join the Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action for a traditional vigil and direct action at the gates of Naval Base Kitsap, Bangor, on Saturday, January 19. Honor the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as together we resist nuclear weapons, the occupation of Iraq, and the bombing of Iran.