Blockade
An untold story from the Port of Olympia protests

On Wednesday, May 23, eleven peace activists formed a blockade in the streets of Olympia, to stop the Stryker vehicles from entering the Port of Olympia (at which point, there would be no stopping them from being shipped off), and hence cut off material support for the war in Iraq.

The Olympia police did their standard deal and arrested nine people, without pepper spray or anything on this occasion. In the end, all the people were arrested except for these two:


The police made no attempt to arrest either of them. After stalling for an hour or so, the police told the Stryker brigade there was no way they were getting any farther. The vehicles backed up and went back the way they came.

(The vehicles did end up taking the long road to the far end of the port, where the police were able to successfully break up another street blockade and get the vehicles inside).

Why was this street blockade a success? Why did the police make no attempt to break up this blockade of two?



The big guy with the tattoos is Ultimate Fighting Champion, Anarchist, and Olympia resident Jeff Monson. Unlike all the Evergreeners and old hippies who said they would be non-violent, he told the police very openly, "If you try to arrest me, I will resist you."

The police threatened him. They told him they'd taser him. But they did nothing. The police did not want to wimp out and cheat, and they definitely did not want to be seen getting their asses kicked, so they gave up to the might of our blockade.

If we had 10 of Jeff Monson, no military force on Earth could stand in our way.

X-posted to war_resisters