Bye Bye Marines
The US Marine Corps opened a recruitment office in the middle of downtown Berkeley a year ago. After a half a year, Code Pink started protesting on the other side of the street, saying they the office was recruiting soldiers to potentially die for an unjust war. I really don't know what the Marine Corps was thinking opening up in the anti-war capital of the country. Their official statement was that they had to move from their Alameda location and downtown Berkeley was a prime location because of its large population of young people, specifically at the college.
Anyway, the Berkeley city council has voted that the recruiting station "is not welcome in the city, and if recruiters choose to stay, they do so as uninvited and unwelcome intruders." They have granted permits to the Code Pink protesters to allow their protest to be more permanent and prominent. And... this is my favorite part, they are considering suing the recruiting office for violating the city's non-discrimation hiring policies, due to the "don't ask, don't tell" policy discriminating based on sexual orientation. Sometimes I feel so proud to be part of this city. Whether or not you agree with their politics, they at least take a stand for their feelings of what their city should be and don't let corporations and the government run around without regard for the city's inhabitants.
The article had an amusing line: "...not everyone is happy with the work of Code Pink... An employee of a nearby business who asked not to be identified said Wednesday the elderly Code Pink protesters are aggressive, take up parking spaces, block the sidewalk with their yoga moves, smoke in the doorways, and are noisy." (emphasis added)
Anyway, the Berkeley city council has voted that the recruiting station "is not welcome in the city, and if recruiters choose to stay, they do so as uninvited and unwelcome intruders." They have granted permits to the Code Pink protesters to allow their protest to be more permanent and prominent. And... this is my favorite part, they are considering suing the recruiting office for violating the city's non-discrimation hiring policies, due to the "don't ask, don't tell" policy discriminating based on sexual orientation. Sometimes I feel so proud to be part of this city. Whether or not you agree with their politics, they at least take a stand for their feelings of what their city should be and don't let corporations and the government run around without regard for the city's inhabitants.
The article had an amusing line: "...not everyone is happy with the work of Code Pink... An employee of a nearby business who asked not to be identified said Wednesday the elderly Code Pink protesters are aggressive, take up parking spaces, block the sidewalk with their yoga moves, smoke in the doorways, and are noisy." (emphasis added)