Not only did MSNBC mischaracterize the nature of this morning's protest at the Port of Oakland,
but the website than swapped the original article for an updated (pre-prepared?) version of the
article that ran this morning at the same URL.
Luckily, I had the old article open in a window from last night. (I'll get some screen grabs and try to grab the HTML too.)
Update: 2:40 pm - My browser crashed when I was trying to get the HTML from the cached page to work. Luckily, I had already taken some screen grabs, which I have uploaded here (1-4).
From Direct Action To Stop The War website:
ARREST This is not a civil disobedience action; although we are taking direct action our goal is to maintain the picket line not to get arrested.
Here's what was at the below URL Sunday, April 6 around 8-9 pm:
http://www.msnbc.com/news/895056.asp?cp1=1
Protesters plan to stop war shipments Antiwar group seeks to shut port of Oakland with picket line By Tom Curry MSNBC April 3 — Shifting protests against the war in Iraq to a new level, a San Francisco group says that it will set up a picket line Monday to block supplies being shipped to U.S. forces fighting in Iraq. The group, Direct Action to Stop the War, said will attempt to “shut down the war merchants” at the port of Oakland by urging members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union to not cross the picket line.
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‘We are trying to send a message to APL that we oppose their profiting off this unjust and illegal war.’ — SASHA WRIGHT Antiwar organizer in Oakland, Calif. THE TARGET OF Monday’s action is American President Lines, a cargo carrier that has contracts with the Defense Department to ship supplies to U.S. forces overseas. The port of Oakland is the fourth-busiest cargo container port
in the United States.
‘UNJUST AND ILLEGAL’ “Whether or not war cargo is there on that day, we are trying to send a message to APL that we oppose their profiting off this unjust and illegal war,” said Sasha Wright, an organizer with Direct Action to Stop the War. “We will hold them accountable.” Patrick Reinsborough, a spokesman for the group, said it hoped that members of Local 10 of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union would respect the picket line, as union members
usually do, and thus shut down APL’s Oakland operations by refusing to work.
• Complete MSNBC coverage • Exclusive: Ansar's terror toxins • The Experts: Iraqi ingenuity •
Iraqi ambush described • U.S. looks for al-Qaida link • Jordan's worries over war • Arab
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journal • Encarta: Detailed Iraq map • WashPost: Special coverage LATEST FROM NEWSWEEK • Special
war section • Saving Private Lynch •
The grunts' war
Asked whether cutting off supplies to American soldiers would jeopardize their lives, Wright said, “We feel like the war is what’s putting their lives in danger. This is an effort to save lives by stopping the war as quickly as possible.” ILWU spokesman Steve Stallone told MSNBC.com “the union is much like the rest of American society, it’s split on the war.” But, he said, “Our contract is that we are supposed to load those ships — and we have every intention of abiding by our contract.” Although the ILWU opposed the Vietnam War in 1960s, its members
continued to load cargo ships carrying military materiel to U.S. forces in Vietnam.
Add local news and weather to the MSNBC home page.
A source at the port who spoke on condition of anonymity said Direct Action’s protest was misplaced. “Ninety-five percent of what’s shipped out of Oakland (to Iraq) is food which is going to help Iraqi citizens,” he said. Reinsborough said that on Monday some antiwar activists would also seek to disrupt shipments at the Concord Naval Weapons Station, which is northeast of Oakland. Across the bay from Oakland, antiwar demonstrators in San Francisco disrupted traffic in
the city’s’ financial district two weeks ago, leading Mayor Willie Brown to criticize them. “Some protesters ... have chosen to specifically try to disrupt this city, rather than gather peacefully to voice their desire for peace, at the expense of the day-to-day lives of ordinary San Franciscans and at a great cost to this city,” Brown said. “It is one of the painful ironies of this war that one of the most anti-war cities in the nation, San Francisco, is being disproportionately harmed by the tactics of anti-war protesters.”
Here is what is up there right now (noon on monday the 7th) at the same URL:
http://www.msnbc.com/news/895056.asp?cp1=1
Police battle with Oakland protesters Officers fire non-lethal projectiles to disperse group
MSNBC STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS OAKLAND, Calif., April 7 — Police fired wooden dowels and bean-bag pellets Monday at hundreds of antiwar protesters blocking a road near Oakland’s port. Several longshoremen were injured as police tried to disperse the demonstrators, who were trying to block supplies being shipped to U.S. forces fighting in Iraq.
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SLIDESHOW • Demonstrators: For and against war INTERACTIVE INTERACTIVE • Impact on airlines: Guide
to service changes
‘We are trying to send a message to APL that we oppose their profiting off this unjust and illegal war.’ — SASHA WRIGHT Antiwar organizer in Oakland, Calif. SEVERAL PEOPLE were injured, including some who suffered large bruises. One man lifted up his shirt to show a welt about the size of a baseball. Most of the 500 demonstrators at the port were dispersed peacefully, but police fired at two gates when protesters refused to move and police said some of them threw rocks
and bolts. The longshoremen, pinned against a fence, were caught in the line of fire. The police fired bean-bag rounds and wooden dowels. They also used “sting balls,” which send out a spray of BB-sized rubber pellets and a cloud of tear gas. “We gave our dispersal order, we gave them an order, we gave them ample time to disperse,” said Oakland police spokeswoman Danielle Ashford.
“When we give our dispersal order, that’s pretty much it. (If) there are safety issues involved, that’s when we step in.” At least six demonstrators and six longshoremen standing nearby were injured. “Oakland police are being the most aggressive of any department I’ve seen in the Bay Area since the war began,” said protester Damien McAnany, a database manager. “The San Francisco Police
Department never used any of this stuff against us.”
ACTION AGAINST CARGO SHIPPER The demonstrators carried signs including “Shut down the war makers.”
• Complete MSNBC coverage • Exclusive: Ansar's terror toxins • The Experts: Iraqi ingenuity •
Iraqi ambush described • U.S. looks for al-Qaida link • Jordan's worries over war • Arab
channels show clout • Dispatches from the field • Video coverage from NBC • Blog: Army family's
journal • Encarta: Detailed Iraq map • WashPost: Special coverage LATEST FROM NEWSWEEK •
Special war section • Saving Private Lynch • The grunts' war
They were trying to block access to the terminal of American President Lines, a cargo carrier that has contracts with the Defense Department to ship supplies to U.S. forces overseas. “Some people were blocking port property and the port authorities asked us to move them off,” said Deputy Police Chief Patrick Haw. “Police moved aggressively against crowds because some people threw rocks and big iron bolts at officers.”
Six longshoremen were treated by paramedics. It was unclear if any of the injured protesters sought medical treatment. “I was standing as far back as I could,” said longshoremen Kevin Wilson.
“It was very scary. All of that force wasn’t necessary.” Trent Willis, a business agent for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, said enraged dockworkers were leaving the docks after the incident. “They shot my guys. We’re not going to work today,” Willis said. “The cops had no reason to open up on them.” A group called Direct Action to Stop the War had vowed last week to
“shut down the war merchants” at the port of Oakland by urging members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union to not cross its picket line.
‘UNJUST AND ILLEGAL’ “Whether or not war cargo is there on that day, we are trying to send a message to APL that we oppose their profiting off this unjust and illegal war,” Sasha Wright, an organizer with Direct Action to Stop the War told MSNBC.com last week. “We will hold them accountable.” Patrick Reinsborough, a spokesman for the group, said it hoped that members of Local 10 of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union would respect the picket line, as union members usually do, and thus shut down APL’s Oakland operations by refusing to work. Asked whether cutting off supplies to American soldiers would jeopardize their lives, Wright said, “We feel like the war is what’s putting their lives in danger. This is an effort to save lives by stopping the war as quickly as possible.” ILWU spokesman Steve Stallone told MSNBC.com, “Our contract is that
we are supposed to load those ships — and we have every intention of abiding by our contract.”
Although the ILWU opposed the Vietnam War in 1960s, its members continued to load cargo ships carrying military materiel to U.S. forces in Vietnam.
Add local news and weather to the MSNBC home page.
Meanwhile in New York, police arrested several dozen people who blocked the entrance to the Manhattan building of the Carlyle Group, a firm which has a stake in the defense industry. Up to 300 people chanted: “Carlyle gets fat on war” outside the offices of the $14 billion investment group. Police said about two or three dozen demonstrators were arrested outside the Fifth Avenue building and charged with disorderly conduct. The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this
report.
Here is the full text from the page on the actagainstwar website that describes the protest (as referenced in my introduction to this post):
http://www.actagainstwar.org/article.php?id=122
CONFRONT THE WAR MERCHANTS AT THE OAKLAND DOCKS
Community Picket of APL
MONDAY APRIL 7, 7AM (Continuing all day-come when you can)
Meet: 7am outside the West Oakland BART
COMMUNITY PICKET We will keep one or more mass high energy moving picket lines at the entrance to APL to confront them for war profiteering. Simultaneous nonviolent direct actions will take place across the US— New York City, Washington DC-and throughout the Bay Area—SF Federal Building and Concord Naval Weapons Station. If the picket is large and lively enough we will impact APL and throw some sand in the gears of the war machine. There is a long history of community pickets successfully confronting shipping lines involved in Apartheid in South Africa, military repression in Central America, union-busting in Liverpool, UK, and the Italian government’s crackdown on the global justice movement in Genoa, Italy. We will have orientation teams to check in with and orient people as they arrive.
ANTI-WAR/PRO-WORKER Many of us in the anti-war movement are trade unionists and active supporters of union fights against corporations, including the recent ILWU fight with the Pacific Maritime Association and the Bush Administration for a decent contract.
ARREST This is not a civil disobedience action; although we are taking direct action our goal is to maintain the picket line not to get arrested.
WHEN/WHAT TO BRING People will be meeting at 7AM on April 7th at West Oakland BART, one mile from the site of the picket. If you can’t come at 7am, come when you can and stay as long as you can-- look for the orientation folks at outside West Oakland BART. Folks can either walk, or shuttles will be available. Bring water, food, and protection from the sun as we will be subject to the elements with very little shade and the action will continue all day. Also prepare for cold and wind, particularly early morning and in the afternoon and evening. APL’s entrances to it’s docks are at 1395 Middle Harbor Rd.
DRIVING Driving Directions: From Hwys 80, 24, or 580; Get on 980 South, exit “11th St” to Bush, right on 7th to 1451 7th, the West Oakland BART Terminal.
PARKING Park in the BART Parking lot, on nearby residential streets (some have two hour limits, though not strictly enforced—be careful) $6 All Day Parking Lot is on Kirkham between 5th and 7th, just past BART, heading east on 7th.
WAR PROFITEERS While services of all kinds are cut, there is endless money for the unjust and illegal war being waged in our name. Those corporations that profit from this war, including San Francisco based Bechtel, Dick Cheney’s Halliburton, Stevedoring Services of America(which was just awarded a contract to manage the Iraqi port of Um Qasir) and must be exposed for their role in fuelling this war and reaping profits from it. Direct Action to Stop the War with Presente Affinity Group initiated actions at Bechtel world headquarters in downtown San Francisco, closing it for two days after the war started. On Monday April 14th Direct Action to Stop the War will use mass nonviolnet civil disobedience to shut down ChevronTexaco World Headquarters in San Ramon, near Walnut Creek in Contra Costa County. This all helps to impose an economic, political and social cost on those who make war and those who profit from it.
APL You are invited to join a community picketline at the Oakland Docks that will be established to confront APL (formerly American President Lines). APL has been a major shipper of military cargo from the port of Oakland. APL is not only a carrier of military cargo; they also operate as a direct arm of the U.S. Department of Defense. APL receives millions of taxpayer dollars every year for shipping military cargo through the Department of Defense Maritime Security Program (MSP). APL makes nine of its vessels available to the Department of Defense in order to move "ammunition and sustainment cargo." Several of these vessels have already been called up to service the military this year. The MSP is authorized to make payments of $2.1 million per vessel per year through the program. Therefore, APL is potentially receiving $18 million dollars of taxpayer money per year from the Department of Defense to be a gunrunner. In fact, according to AsiaWeek, APL was receiving $100 million in subsides from the DOD in 1997.
APL is headquartered in Oakland. It was the second-largest container shipping company in the U.S. until it merged with Singapore-based Neptune Orient Lines (NOL) to become one of the top five cargo carriers in the world with total sales in 2001 of nearly $4.7 billion. On the U.S. West Coast, it operates ocean terminals at Seattle, Oakland and Los Angeles. At Concord Naval Weapons station, APL’s stevedoring company, Eagle Marine Services, provides the stevedoring (a stevedore is another name for longshoreman, loads and unloads cargo) for the military cargo that goes out of Concord.
