On the anniversary of April 7--Return to the Oakland docks

international | rights, freedoms and repression | event notice Tuesday March 30, 2004 09:13 by Daniel Borgström Oakland, California, USA

April 7, 2003 was a day we will not soon forget. It was our first protest against the war profiteers who operate out of the Port of Oakland. The police shootings which occurred on that day guaranteed that our commitment would be a long one. This year, on Wednesday, April 7th, we will return to the docks to protest the profiteers and reaffirm our First Amendment rights.

On April 7th, 2003, demonstrators at the Oakland docks were fired upon by the police using less-lethal weapons. On retreating from the port, the protestors marched through the streets of Oakland, arriving at City Hall, where city council members promised to investigate the actions of the police.

During the days and weeks that followed, we spoke at Oakland city council meetings. We filled the chambers for those sessions. At the same time, we also held forums and a rally.

At the rally on April 26th, a speaker from Direct Action (DASW) asked us how many of us wanted to go back to the port for another demonstration. Everyone knew the return could be hazardous, but a good show of hands went up.

A day was finally chosen, and five weeks after the violent police attack, we marched back into the Port of Oakland for a successful demonstration in defense of our First Amendment rights. That was May 12th, and on that occasion there were no shootings or arrests. It was a Sun Tzu type of victory, achieved without physical confrontation.

However, civil liberties do not stay won for long, especially in today’s world. Our rights have to be repeatedly defended, time after time, sometimes at considerable risk. That is the price of liberty--eternal vigilance.

The anniversary of the April 7th police attack is now approaching, and on that day we will once again return to the Port of Oakland to commemorate the event by picketing the war profiteers and reaffirming our endangered Constitutional rights.

If you happen to be in California this April 7th, please join us.

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TIME & PLACE

Wednesday, April 7, 2004

4pm: OPD Rally - 455 7th St at Broadway
Oakland, CA
(down the street from 12th St BART)

5pm: March from West Oakland BART to the Oakland Docks

Organized by:

Direct Action to Stop the War (DASW)
http://www.ActAgainstWar.org

People United for a Better Oakland (PUEBLO)
http://www.PeopleUnited.org

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“Whose Port?” --a 30,000 word account of the events of the Oakland Port Protest from April 7 to May 12, 2003:
http://www.artwithoutcredentials.com/peaceSign/whosePort.php

“Remember the shots! Return to the docks!”
Indymedia archives & news updates:
http://www.indybay.org/antiwar/#1919

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