DASW Press Conference on United Nations Report - 4/05

UN Calls on US to Respect Human Rights of Anti-War Movement in Oakland

Anti-War & Community Groups Return to SSA at Oakland Docks on April 7
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Direct Action to Stop the War
ActAgainstWar.org

PUEBLO People United for a Better Oakland
http://www.peopleunited.org/
For Immediate Release: April 5, 2004
Contact:DASW Media Hotline 415-305-5345

The United Nations Commission on Human Rights has made public a report expressing concerns about United States Government human rights violations against peaceful demonstrators at the Oakland docks last April7th.

The report includes summaries of a letter sent to the US Government about the use of excessive force by the Oakland Police on April 7, 2003, including allegations that police fired wooden pellets, sting ball grenades, shot-filled beanbags and tear gas resulting in injuries. The letter alleges that injuries included Willow Rosenthal and Erik Shaw who were hit by projectiles in the back of their calves. Rosenthal later underwent surgery. It also alleges police surveillance of Shaw while he acted a police liaison for Direct Action to Stop the War.

The report, entitled "Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, Human Rights Defenders; Summary of cases transmitted to Governments and replies received" was posted on April 2,2004 on the United Nations Commission on Human Rights website. The annual report includes summaries of letters sent to numerous human right violators including the Governments of China, Uganda, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iran and Colombia. Most other governments accused of human rights violation responded to the UN, but the report concludes: "The Special Representative regrets the absence of a response from the [US] Government to her communications."

On April 7, 2003 750 concerned people held a nonviolent community picket at the Oakland docks of APL and SSA, corporations profiting from the US war and occupation of Iraq. After holding closed meetings with these corporations‚ days before, the Oakland police opened fire for nearly two hours with potentially lethal wooden bullets, metal-shot-filled bags and concussion grenades.

Three members of the media, nine longshore workers and 50 community members were injured, and 31 people were arrested. On May 12, 2003 Bay Area residents returned to the Oakland docks to reclaim their rights to free speech and community picketing. Oakland Police threatened to obstruct the community picket. After mobilizing community support and political pressure, Oakland‚s Chief of Police agreed to meet and agreed to refrain from initiating violence and to respect their right to free speech and community picketing.

On April 7, 2004--the one year anniversary--Bay Area residents will rally at 4pm at the Oakland Police Department, 455 7th St at Broadway, and then will march from West Oakland BART at 5pm to engage in a community picket of SSA Corporation at the Oakland docks. Direct Action to Stop the War demands the Oakland Police respect the right to protest; reject violent repression of dissent; and renounce their long-term brutality and injustice against the people
of Oakland.

The events will connect the human rights violations at home with those taking place under the US occupation of Iraq. "From the April 7 events to the killing of 20-year-old Terrence Mearis as he slept in his bed last October 6 to the daily harassment of youth of
color, the people of Oakland have continued to see our rights erode. We're putting Mayor Brown and the Oakland Police Department on notice that the people of Oakland and the Bay Area will not accept a police force that protects union-busting, corporate war profiteers and attacks our basic rights." said Jackie Thomason of community group PUEBLO (People United for a Better Oakland), cosponsor of the April 7 events.

SSA, the focus of the community picket, is the largest marine terminal operator in the U.S. and one of the largest in the world. It had an estimated $1 billion in sales in 2002, operates in more than 150 locations worldwide and employs more than 10,000 people. SSA was granted the contract to operate Iraq‚s main port of Umm Qasr, under a three-year monopoly with guaranteed profits. Unemployment in Iraq remains at approximately 70%. Workers in several industries have been struggling against their newly appointed U.S. corporate bosses and the setting of unfair and unlivable wage scales by the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) through attempts at unionization. These attempts, however, have been suppressed in several places, including the port of Umm Qasr by SSA. SSA has the resources to pay fair wages and provide a fair fee scale in Iraq. It chooses not to. SSA does not need this Port or the money of American taxpayers. More importantly, Iraqis do not need SSA.

Direct Action to Stop the War is a community-based mobilization engaged in an ongoing "Democracy versus Empire" campaign to challenge the Bush administration's policies of empire-building, permanent war and domestic cut backs and repression with grassroots mobilization for a real democracy.
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The UN Human Rights Commission Report can be found at:
http://www.unhchr.ch/pdf/chr60/94add3AV.pdf
See paragraphs 476 to 479, titled "United States of America"

Direct Action to Stop the War Background fact sheets:
http://www.actagainstwar.org/article.php?list=type&type

PUEBLO People United for a Better Oakland
http://www.peopleunited.org/