Unqualified success! Turnout was light -BUT- we sustained banners at all four corners of the intersection for the full duration of the event, so we received honks of encouraging from traffic flowing in every direction. Participants were able to come and go as their schedule allowed. We tied up five security vehicles, two private foot patrolmen, someone watching through binoculars, two photographers, and one D.o.D. auditor who came out to say “THANK YOU!” We demonstrated neither a security threat, nor a safety risk, but simply that fellow citizens who every day drive past this military-industrial-complex turned out to be squarely, and loudly, in the peace camp. We knew it, now the defense contractors know it. They heard it in the steady cacophony of car and truck horns!
People doing military service apologize to us because they’re stuck following orders. Can those who market death for a profit make the same excuse?
More pictures at csaction.org.
UPDATE: WEAPONS MERCHANTS ON ACADEMY LOOP
1050
DESE Research
Intecon
Lockheed Martin Corp
SYColeman, Suite 120
1150
Allied Signal Technical Corp, Suite 100
Aerospace Corporation, Suite 136
Alliant Techsystems, ATK Thiokol Propulsion
BAE Systems, Suite 111
L-3 Communications Corporation, Suite 240
Lockheed Martin Corp
Overlook Systems Technology, Suite 114
RS Information Systems
SDS International, Suite 119
1155
MITRE Corporation, Suite 212
1250
ANSER, Suite 223
Applied Research Associates, Suite 235
Boeing Company Integrated Defense Systems (IDS), Suite 134
CACI, Suite 202
Harris Corp, Suite 242
Lockheed Martin Corp
Scitor Corporation, Suite 208
System Technology Associates (STA), Suite 116
1330
21st Century Technology
ANSER, Inc., Suite 100
Applied Research Associates
Boeing-Autometric, Suite 330
DigitalNet , Suite 335
Dynetics, Suite 412
General Dynamics C4 Systems, Suite 160
Northrop Grumman Corporation
Raytheon, Suite 140
Schafer Corporation, Suite 450
Sigmatech, Inc. , Suite 120
Spectrum Astro Inc., Suite160
SYColeman, Suite 440
Teledyne Bown Engineering, Suite 350
1450
General Dynamics Electronics Systems & Advanced Information Systems
Wonderful to hear! And y’all were looking great!! (via the photos at csaction.org). Thanks to everyone involved, including those who stopped to share voice. Very admirable.
We also did get brief mention on Channel 13 news at 5pm, though not at 10. This coverage and our action served as the only contrast I have seen anywhere in the Colorado corporate media for all the pseudo-patriotic jingoism they’re trying to saturate the public with to keep the killing going.
As I returned north on Academy, I saw 3 separate individuals walking at different points all waving giant American flags. I did not notice any honks in support, as these guys looked more like idiotic fools than ‘patriots’.
In contrast, people passing our 6 hour long vigil against the military contractors definitely did get the point we were trying to make about how the mis-named ‘defense industry’ contractors were making a killing , and at times the support was wildly enthusiastic for us.
And of course, too, any time the proPeace community effectively communicates to the public its POV, a few of the more rabid Right Wing gung ho types up their nastiness, too. One of them egged us on, so to speak, and we did get some few fingers besides.
Still, it seemed as the day went on, that our support for demonstrating against the war at this site was growing markedly. We have to find more ways to contrast our Peace message with the constant barrage of pro-war jingoism the public normally only sees and hears through the media and through government institutions.
We need to be able to get some local action going for late October. Any suggestions?