By Kevin Ressler Berkeley, CA (PeB News Service)

The sun was shining, early, and people were not afraid to come out. There were people wearing orange “Guantanamo” jumpsuits and black hoods, as well as people dressed in anti-war regalia. Still more, there were people in suits, media outlets, and of course the Berkeley bicycle police force and their usual tailgaters, copwatch.

On Friday, February 15, 40-50 people showed up at 9 AM to prepare for a day of action. The action, as has been widely reported in the national media, surrounds a Marine recruitment center which has been in the center of downtown Berkeley, CA, since the end of 2006.

The activists have continued to have sit-ins in front of the recruitment center. Last week they shut the center down on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. On Wednesday, the recruitment center was open for a few hours but shut down early.

At Friday’s action, the activists planned to hold a press conference. Before the conference many organizers of Bay Area peace groups spoke. Ken Preston-Pile of Pace e Bene spoke about the heinousness of torture, the information we now know about Fort Huachuca and their creation of training manuals as well as the training in torture techniques they do. He also spoke about Father Louie Vitale and the Circle of Peace.

Because the recruiters did not show up, the gathered held their press conference early. As they finished, someone had tipped off the Marine’s of the early conference. After the protesters declared victory for having shut down the recruitment center again, some Marine recruiters rolled by in a car.

Seeing the recruiters trying to wait out their press conference, the activists changed their mind with Medea Benjamin of Code Pink saying, “We planned on being here all day and we have no problem staying.”

The crowd then began to chant slogans, linking arms and sitting in front of the door. Vowing to keep shutting down the recruitment center with action and presence until the Marine’s shut down the recruitment center permanently themselves.

The background to this event is long, beginning in late 2006 with the founding of the recruitment center. While there has been discontent and the issues have been brewing, it was only last week that a tipping point was reached.

A few weeks ago, the Berkeley City Council voted to send a letter to the Marines. The letter used the phrase “uninvited and unwelcome” to tell the Marines how they felt about the recruitment center. Afterwards, lead by a conservative Bay Area political group, a petition was signed by 25,000 people from the Bay Area as well as other areas asking that the City Council apologize for their letter’s “attack” on the Marines.

The media reported Berkeley’s City Council as having attacked Marines, which it claims not to have done. The council passed a motion to not send the letter but stand by it. They also reiterated their appreciation and respect for the American military, saying they didn’t want them recruiting in their city.