LOCKHEED ACTION LEGAL/MEDIA UPDATE

LEGAL UPDATE:
All but one person was released by 2am last night. The remaining person has chosen to non-cooperate, and has refused to give a name (They are in contact with legal support). Aproxiamtely 60 people were arrested according to Legal Support to Stop the War, including police liason Lynne Stone who was arrested while trying to negotiate the safety of the blockaders being cut out of their lockboxes. Earlier, one of the locked-down blockaders had his hand injured when his lock box was drilled through.

MEDIA:
Media coverage was widespread; the story went all over the country on wire service stories by AP, Rueters and Agence France-Presse. Great photos and some accounts on sf.indymedia.org. Below are the post action press releases, the Agence France-Presse article and one of the two San Jose Mercury articles.

THANK YOU!
to all the incredible South Bay/Stanford organizers who did the groundwork to make the action a success; teach-in on Sunday, Press Conference on Monday, hosting over a hundred out of town activists on Monday night (with a spoken word and dj-dance party), incredible logistics, picking folks up from jail in the wee hours.......

SPOKEN WORD STREET PARTY
The 5-hour H Street blockade of Lockheed Martin included a street party with music from the Brass Liberation Orchestra and an open bullhorn spoken word blockade-rally with poems from lock-downed blockaders and supporters, including the the following poem by a South Bay organizer:

[poem here was ommitted by author request - sf-imc]

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Tuesday, April 22, 2003-- 5pm

No Business as Usual at Lockheed Martin:
South Bay Organizers Claim Victory

This morning, students and activists in the South Bay community successfully disrupted business as usual at Lockheed Martin, the world‚s largest weapons industry, in Sunnyvale, California. Six hundred people throughout the day succeeded in blocking three entrances from 6am to noon, and over fifty were arrested. People sang, chanted, and danced in a celebration of life to oppose Lockheed‚s profiting from death. At Third Street, protestors held a theatrical die-in and lockdown; at First Street, a lockdown; and at H Street, a blockade. Protesters demonstrated a profound commitment to nonviolence throughout the day, even when a student was injured and a police liaison arrested during the lockdowns. The protest ended at noon when the police declared that gathering on the sidewalks, a constitutionally protected free speech activity, was an unlawful assembly. This mass demonstration is part of an ongoing campaign to disrupt business for war-profiteers and raise awareness about the US war and military occupation in Iraq.

This event was organized by a coalition of students and community members called South Bay Mobilization to Stop the War (thinking_peace [at] yahoogroups.com), under the umbrella organization, Direct Action to Stop the War (http://www.actagainstwar.com <http://www.actagainstwar.com/> ).
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For Immediate Release On: April 22, 2003

Weapons of Mass Destruction Discovered at Lockheed Martin

Peace Activists Conduct Citizens Weapons Inspections, Die-ins and Blockades
at Sunnyvale Facility of Lockheed Martin: War Profiteer and Human Rights
Violator

Sunnyvale, CA, 7am – Peace activists from across California put a spotlight
on the hypocrisy of the United States invading Iraq under the guise of
searching for weapons of mass destruction when such weapons are being
produced in their own backyard at Lockheed Martin, the world’s largest arms
exporter and manufacturer.

“They were unable to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, but we found
them right here in Sunnyvale,” said protest organizer Blair Thedinger of
Direct Action to Stop the War.

Peace activists gathered at the Lockheed facility with the goal of shutting
down operations for the day to demonstrate their opposition to the U.S.-led
invasion and occupation of Iraq and the corporations that drive and profit
from war. Employing a variety of tactics including a citizens weapons
inspection, die-ins and non-violent street blockades, the action is part of
an ongoing series of non-violent direct actions that Direct Action to Stop
the War (DASW) has engaged in to unplug the war machine at its roots.
“We are shutting down Lockheed Martin in order to stop the production and
use of illegal weapons of mass destruction,” said Shahrzad Rose Broome an
Iranian-American Santa Clara University Student. “Weapons being used against
the Iraqi people in an unjust, illegal and amoral U.S. invasion. To stop
the war, we must stop the military-industrial complex driving the war.”
Lockheed manufactures the key tactical strike weapons used in the war
against Iraq – the heart of the “Shock and Awe” campaign. These weapons
have contributed to over 1500 confirmed civilian deaths in Iraq so far.
Included among these weapons are AUP-3(M) Depleted Uranium missiles and
anti-personnel landmines, illegal weapons of mass destruction according to
the United Nations.

“Even among weapons manufacturers, Lockheed stands alone in its total
disregard for the human and environmental impacts of its production,”
explained Valarie Kaur Brar a Stanford University student. “Lockheed
blatantly violates human rights by continuing to produce anti-personnel
landmines and depleted uranium weapons which have been banned by
international human rights law.”

Harlow Williams, a Marine combat veteran of the Vietnam War and Sunnyvale
resident, explained that having a weapons-producing corporation in his
backyard has convinced him that he must engage in his first act of
non-violent civil disobedience. "I wish to draw attention to this quiet but
lethal business. This veteran wants his neighbors to know that I don't
accept this as business as usual."

The action drew attention to the close relationship between Lockheed and the
Bush Administration. Eight current Administration official have close ties
to the firm, including Vice President Dick Cheney whose wife served on the
board from 1994 to 2001. The defense industry leader in lobbying
expenditures, Lockheed actively lobbies to retain existing nuclear weapons
and to develop new ones. Perpetual war means perpetual profits for Lockheed.

Former Lockheed Martin employee, Darlene Wallach (1991-2001) said, “I am
ashamed and horrified that I ever worked for Lockheed Martin, a company
whose main business and purpose is to destroy and kill.”

Direct Action to Stop the War is an ongoing mobilization in which people
from all walks of life take part in non-violent direct action to protest the
illegal and unjust invasion of Iraq and the corporations that drive and
profit from war. DASW has organized numerous direct actions over the last
two months, including the shut down of the San Francisco financial district
on March 20th, in which over 20,000 people engaged in civil disobedience to
protest the U.S. Invasion of Iraq.

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Protesters block Lockheed Martin facility in search for WMDs
SUNNYVALE, California (AFP) Apr 22, 2003
All rights reserved. © 2003 Agence France-Presse.
Hundreds of peace demonstrators Tuesday blocked entrances to the local facility of Lockheed Martin, protesting what they called the manufacture of weapons of mass destruction.

"They were unable to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, but we found them right here in Sunnyvale," said protest organizer Blair Thedinger.

"Weapons (are) being used against the Iraqi people in an unjust, illegal and amoral U.S. invasion," he said.

"To stop the war, we must stop the military-industrial complex driving the war", said Shahrzad Rose Broome, an Iranian-American student at Santa Clara University student.

"We're trying to pressure the government to change its policy," said Jessica Jenkins, student of international relations at nearby Stanford University.

"This is a nonviolent action" yelled the crowd as police on horseback began to clear protesters from one intersection.

Carrying signs reading, "War is a terrorist act," "Support our troops: Bring them home now," and "Welcome to Silicon Death Valley," a group of nearly 300 protestors, largely students from nearby universities, arrived before dawn and blocked three main intersections surrounding the Lockheed Martin Space and Strategic Missile facility in this town some 60 miles south of San Francisco.

Organized by the San Francisco Bay Area umbrella group Direct Action to Stop the War, protesters formed chains, their hands linked together through "lock boxes" made of plastic or metal tubes.

"Today's actions will in no way shift our focus in supporting our men and women who voluntarily put themselves in harm's way," said Steve Tatum, spokesman for Lockheed Martin Space Systems, in a telephone interview.

According to Direct Action to Stop the War, Lockheed manufactures the key tactical strike weapons used in the war against Iraq. Included among these weapons are AUP-3(M) Depleted Uranium missiles and anti-personnel landmines, said the peace activists.

"Even among weapons manufacturers, Lockheed stands alone in its total disregard for the human and environmental impacts of its production," explained Valarie Kaur Brar a Stanford University student.

"Lockheed blatantly violates human rights by continuing to produce anti-personnel landmines and depleted uranium weapons which have been banned by international human rights law."


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Posted on Wed, Apr. 23, 2003

Protesters converge on Lockheed facility
LARGELY PEACEFUL ACTION ENDS WITH ABOUT 50 ARRESTS
By Dana Hull
Mercury News

The anti-war movement is fighting on, even as the major battles in Iraq are over and attention has turned to rebuilding.

On Tuesday, at least 300 protesters descended on the Sunnyvale offices of Lockheed Martin's Space and Strategic Missiles facility. Protesters targeted the defense contractor because it manufactures weapons the activists say have contributed to the deaths of Iraqi civilians.

It was the first time one of the ``direct action'' protests that have rocked San Francisco and Oakland in recent weeks was held in the South Bay. The event, which began at 6 a.m., was part of a plan to bring large, visible protests to corporations in the suburbs of major cities.

Some activists blocked entrances to Lockheed's vast campus by lying on the rain-drenched pavement and locking themselves together with metal or plastic pipes. Others dressed as weapons inspectors and asked to see Lockheed's WMDs, or weapons of mass destruction. The demonstration was peaceful, but at least 49 people were arrested for blocking intersections or failing to disperse.

Blair Thedinger, a junior at Santa Clara University, was injured when police and fire officials tried to pry him out of a lockbox and cut into his hand with an electric drill.

``It could have been a lot worse,'' said Thedinger, who went to the hospital and will wear a splint for six weeks. ``One of my tendons is damaged but it will heal.''

Different tack

Historically, when the threat of war dissipates, so does the peace movement that arose to challenge it. As the combat in Iraq winds down, anti-war groups in the Bay Area and elsewhere are shifting strategies.

``The war is not over and the occupation has just begun,'' said Jeff Grubler, who used styrofoam and silver vinyl to dress up like a ``bunker buster'' bomb. ``Thousands of Iraqis are marching in the streets and asking the U.S. to leave. The Iraqis should be able to rule themselves and not have a retired general running their country.''

While more than 200,000 people turned out in San Francisco on Feb. 16 to protest the war, recent demonstrations against the occupation have drawn significantly smaller crowds. Veteran activists have vowed to fight on and are searching for ways to keep the momentum going.

``I think the movement will continue,'' said Syed Rizvi, 69, of San Jose. ``We need to keep educating people about what is going on. Many people don't have the right information. If they only get their news from Fox and CNN, they are not fully informed.''

Lockheed Martin is based in Bethesda, Md., and the Sunnyvale campus is its largest facility in California, with 6,000 employees. Tuesday's spike in the stock market was partly credited to defense contractors. Lockheed's net income rose 15 percent in the first quarter, results that were higher than expected because of overseas sales for its signature F-16 fighter jet.

The company released a brief statement about the protests that said it strongly supports the First Amendment rights of all citizens, but also the rights of its employees to do their jobs. Although some workers faced traffic delays, the protests, which broke up around noon, did not disrupt business.

``We encouraged our employees to stagger their arrival times,'' spokesman Charles Manor said. ``There were some delays but everyone was able to get to work.''

``Today's actions will in no way shift our focus from meeting our commitments to the men and women who voluntarily place themselves in harm's way to defend the United States,'' Lockheed's statement said.

Organized protests

Direct Action to Stop the War, the umbrella group that has orchestrated numerous protests in recent months, is highly organized. Trained legal observers wear green arm bands and take copious notes. Designated media representatives hand out thick press packets and rehearse sound bites. Protesters divide themselves into ``arrestables'' and ``non-arrestables.'' Volunteer medics are on hand in case protesters are injured, and activists with ``Food Not Bombs'' handed out free cups of hot oatmeal and bagels. Information about the protests is widely distributed ahead of time on the Web site http://www.act againstwar.org.

Sunnyvale police said they met with organizers ahead of time to discuss what was likely to occur. Still, Capt. Greg Kevin estimates that the demonstration will cost the city of Sunnyvale $100,000, primarily in overtime. Nearly 200 police officers from Santa Clara, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Milpitas, as well as the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department and the California Highway Patrol, worked at the demonstration.

Valarie Kaur, a senior at Stanford, says she was happy that a big protest came to the South Bay.

``The war is not over, and the idea of pre-emptive strikes is now `embedded' in our foreign policy,'' Kaur said. ``It's so important to bring the protests to our back yard. It's not just a San Francisco thing. We are holding our community responsible.''