Protesters to converge on Berkeley for Marine debate

Contra Costa Times ^ | 2/11/8 | Doug Oakley

[SmithL]

Berkeley is bracing to outdo even itself Tuesday.

The City Council chambers will be the focus of all-day protests, and not just from the usual assortment of liberal activists. Pro-military groups will also be out in force as the famously left-leaning body considers whether to rescind its statement Jan. 29 calling the U.S. Marines and their Shattuck Avenue recruiting station "uninvited and unwelcome intruders."

The 6-3 vote on that item caused a nationwide backlash against the city, prompting Republicans in Washington and Sacramento to introduce legislation to take away money for things like school lunches and police communications equipment.

Just about every City Council meeting in Berkeley includes protesters who show support or disdain for whatever is on the agenda. And there are those who come regularly to boo and hiss at their elected enemies, seemingly just for sport.

But Tuesday, the city is likely to host the mother of all meetings in its recent history. Councilman Gordon Wozniak, who opposed the council's actions two weeks ago on the recruiting station, said he received 26,000 e-mails on the subject in the past 10 days (24,000 supporting the Marines, 2,000 against), and he is just one of nine council members.

"On a hot issue, we sometimes get a couple hundred e-mails," Wozniak said. "I've never seen anything like this. I'm getting one every five minutes. It's huge."

In a warm-up for the meeting, Tuesday's protests could bring upwards of 500 people from both sides. And hundreds of union members are expected at the meeting to protest a separate item seeking to regulate a local steel foundry.

Sacramento-based Move America Forward and a handful of other pro-military organizations are set to bring in several hundred protesters in front of council chambers starting at 5 a.m. On the other side, Code Pink, a women's peace organization, was planning to camp out for 24 hours to argue that the U.S. Marines should get out of town.

Meanwhile, union workers are protesting a move to put restrictions on Pacific Steel Casting, which many in Berkeley blame for a persistent odor and health problems in some neighborhoods.

All that for a meeting space with a capacity of 123.

To accommodate Tuesday's expected crowd of protesters and media, the city will broadcast the meeting outside on speakers.

Move America Forward is already unhappy with what council members are not planning to do -- rescinding four other items the council passed that are seen as a swipe at the Marines. Those items asked the city attorney to investigate whether the Marines are violating city law prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation; urged people to "impede" the recruiting work of the Marines in Berkeley; and gave Code Pink a free parking space and sound permit in front of the recruiting station once a week to protest.

The proposal by council members Betty Olds and Laurie Capitelli to rescind the item sending the Marines a letter asking them to leave is No. 25 of 28 items on Tuesday's agenda, and could come up for debate near midnight. What's more, pro-military supporters will have to sit through another item likely to make them seethe: urging Canada to provide sanctuary for U.S. military war resisters.

"Our organization has taken a stand that the council needs to apologize and rescind all the resolutions," said Danny Gonzalez, communications director for Move America Forward. "We can only hope that one of the council members has the sense to make a change and reevaluate their stance on all the issues."

By only rescinding the one item, the council, in effect, is still "attempting to get the Marines to leave," Gonzalez said.

"They're just trying to get the heat off, and that's not going to work," Gonzalez said. "It's empty; it's not a genuine apology."

Code Pink is going to the meeting to thank the council for its actions against the recruiting station.

"We're so pleased the council is taking a strong stand for peace, and we intend to be there in full force to let them know we support them," said Zanne Joi, a Code Pink activist. "We trust the council will not be swayed by this vicious right-wing attack."

Joi said the reaction by people across the country angry that the council asked the Marines to leave town shows that the tide of public sentiment has long since turned against the war in Iraq.

"This violent reaction of the pro-war forces shows how threatened they are by a small group of people working against recruitment," Joi said. "They claim the Marines fought for our freedom of speech, and how dare we use our freedom of speech against them."

[2111USMC]

Don’t know where McCain was, but I will give him credit for signing onto the bill.