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Submitted by Robert Whitlock on Fri, 05/02/2008 - 7:52pm.
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?
Submitted by Robert Whitlock on Fri, 05/02/2008 - 11:33am.
Here are a few videos and photos from yesterday's May Day Events: In case the above video player doesn't work, here's a link.
Submitted by Robert Whitlock on Wed, 04/09/2008 - 11:21am.
Apr 17 2008 - 7:00pm On the eve of the Iraq War, retired Army Colonel Ann Wright resigned from the State Department, telling then-Sec. of State Colin Powell that without UN authorization the invasion and occupation would be a disaster. She was one of dozens of government insiders and active-duty military personnel who spoke out, leaked documents, resigned, or refused to deploy in protest of illegal government actions.
Submitted by Rob Richards on Thu, 01/24/2008 - 9:15pm.
Jan 25 2008 - 6:00pm Jan 25 2008 - 9:00pm
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.
Submitted by Robert Whitlock on Wed, 01/09/2008 - 11:15pm.
Jan 19 2008 - 8:30am
Submitted by Robert Whitlock on Thu, 01/03/2008 - 2:01pm.
[via email:]
» Twelve Arrested in Des Moines as Obama Campaign Hinders Press Coverage of Protest
Submitted by epjmcginley on Sat, 12/22/2007 - 11:02am.
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Submitted by smws on Sat, 12/08/2007 - 2:38pm.
I came across this quote about activism from a 2003 interview and it made me think of you folks on Olyblog. Bonus: the author quoted, Ursula K. Le Guin, is even semilocal! Oregon-based, I think she lives somewhere in Portland. Here is what she had to say:
Anyway, I thought she expressed my feeliongs more elegantly than I ever could. From this article in the magazine West By Northwest.
Submitted by Sandy M on Thu, 12/06/2007 - 11:19am.
[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. |
OlyBlog.net OlyBlog is devoted to hyperlocal news and discussion specifically about Olympia, Washington. Contributors to OlyBlog are citizen journalists who care about their community and are tired of corporate media. If you'd like to contribute, please register for an account. Here is a list of local news beats that need to be covered. You can post your news as a personal blog entry, and it will be reviewed (and possibly edited) for promotion to the front page. You can also send news via email. All members of OlyBlog agree to abide by our Social Contract. You should also look at our comment and fair use policies. If you are frustrated about something said in a comment thread, go here. Olyblogger of the Month: Docents are fellow citizen journalists who volunteer to be at your service in order to help with any blog-related issues. They are: Rob RichardsInterests: community building; participatory art, democracy and economics; local politics; citizen journalism. emmettoconnell Interests: City Council, developing a local issues forum. enpen Interests: OlyBlog calendar, Oly street art, local artist interviews, his family, poetry and stuff. Robert Whitlock Interests: peace, justice, nature, nonviolence, media, environment Rick Interests: citizen journalism, hyperlocal media, the knowledge commons. Docent email list Latest Classified Ads Books & Collections ›Blog Local |