[ECDC Announce] Locals Continue Battle Against Blackwater on the Border

Sat Jun 7 18:24:42 CDT 2008

*MEDIA ADVISORY*

Carol Jahnkow
Director, Peace Resource Center of San Diego
http://www.prcsd.org
prcsandiego at igc.org <mailto:prcsandiego at igc.org> / 760-390-0775

Martin Eder
Activist San Diego
http://www.activistsandiego.org
MartinEder at cox.net <mailto:MartinEder at cox.net> / 619-226-1116

Raymond Lutz
Coordinator, Citizens' Oversight Projects (COPs)
http://www.StopBlackwater.net
http://www.CitizensOversight.org
raylutz at CitizensOversight.org / 619-447-3246

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 8, 2008

*Locals Battle Blackwater on the Border*

*Blackwater Opponents Announce Two Upcoming Public Events*
* Community Forum on Tuesday, June 10th and Wednesday, June 11th Rally 
Outside Front Door of Blackwater's New Site

Jeremy Scahill, Renowned Author of International Bestseller "Blackwater: 
The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army" Special Guest Speaker

*Community Groups Charge Blackwater Misused Federal Court to Muscle into 
Cal-Mex Border Site and Call for Facility Including Shooting Range to Be 
Shut-Down

"No to Baghdad on the Border" New Facility 500 Yards From International 
Border Will Exacerbate the Potential for Increased Human and Civil 
Rights Violations to Both Migrants and Members of Border Communities

SAN DIEGO, CA (June 8) -- - San Diego locals continue protest against 
Blackwater's new foothold on the West Coast, only blocks from the 
Cal-Mex border in Otay Mesa, California. Blackwater opened the facility 
under clouds of subterfuge and obvious circumvention of local laws, 
finally using temporary restraining order issued by Federal Judge, a 
President Bush Sr. appointee, to muscle their way into the facility and 
avoid public hearings, environmental review and traditional public scrutiny.

*TWO PUBLIC EVENTS TO STOP BLACKWATER*

*WHEN:* Tuesday, June 10, 2008, 7 p.m.
*WHAT:* Community Forum on Stopping Blackwater Featuring Jeremy Scahill, 
Author
Bestseller "Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary 
Army"
*WHERE:* Unitarian Universalist Church, 4190 Front Street, San Diego

AND

*WHEN:* Wednesday, June 11, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
*WHAT:* Locals Rally Outside the New Blackwater Training Facility, 
speakers include,
Jeremy Scahill, Blackwater Author and others TBA
*WHERE: *7685 Siempre Viva Rd, San Diego, CA 92154.

The public is invited to both events where community members will 
express their views about the miscarriage of local laws, the 
inappropriate use of mercenaries for public security training, and the 
desire to have the facility shut down in Otay Mesa, California. For many 
who were successful in blocking Blackwater's attempt to build a more 
than 800 acre para-military facility in Potreo, California, Blackwater 
represents the ultimate expression of the worst decisions made by the 
Bush administration and their extreme privatization agenda.

Jeremy Scahill, author of the International and New York Times 
bestseller and the winner of prestigious Polk Book Award, "Blackwater: 
The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army" 
<http://www.blackwaterbook.com> will speak to the community at both 
events. Scahill, whose book inspired San Diego's local movement, is 
currently on a national tour to launch the fully updated paperback 
edition of his bestseller, featuring an exposé on "Baghdad's Bloody 
Sunday," a shooting spree carried out by Blackwater in Baghdad's Nisour 
Square on September 16, 2007 where 17 innocent civilians were cut down 
by Blackwater gunfire without provocation.

"Despite the deadly events of the past year, Blackwater's business has 
never been better," said Jeremy Scahill. "Amidst the scandals, 
controversies and allegations of killing innocent civilians, Blackwater 
continues to be rewarded with lucrative, multi-million dollar contracts 
from the federal government, all the while expanding its reach inside 
the US and now into California. The residents of Potrero and their 
allies were right to confront Blackwater as it attempted to open shop in 
their community on the US-Mexico border and the people of San Diego are 
justified in their deep concerns about Blackwater's facility in Otay Mesa."

On April 25, 2008, Rep. Bob Filner (CA-51) held a press conference at 
the same site about the project. "This is a private company that would 
profit from instability and insecurity at the border," said San Diego 
City Councilmember Ben Hueso, who represents the 8th District where the 
project is located and who spoke at event. "It's their motive and it's 
their interest that we have conflict and that we have problems at the 
border. The more there are, they more they'll profit. This is why we do 
not want private companies engaging in national security objectives. It 
is a complete conflict of interest when you mix corporate profits with 
community benefit."

"The people of Potrero and San Diego is delivering a strong message to 
Blackwater," said Carol Jahnkow, Director of the San Diego Peace 
Resource Center and lead organizer for the rally. "You are not wanted 
here!. Blackwater, with its lack of transparency and accountability, is 
bad for San Diego and  why private companies like Blackwater who  profit 
from war, suffering, insecurity and civil  unrest undermine our 
democratic values."

 "Any Navy training should be handled internally by the Navy itself and 
not by war profiteers who seek to by-pass public scrutiny," said Martin 
Eder, spokesperson for Activist San Diego. "Blackwater has a history of 
running roughshod over the interests of civilians, whether it is in Iraq 
and Potrero and now Otay Mesa. What they did in Otay in blatant 
disregard to the rights of government and citizens to know the truth 
about this so-called 'vocational training facility'. Blackwater is known 
for shooting first, and asking questions never -- San Diego has good 
reason to fear Blackwater on our sensitive international border."

Reacting to the audit report of the Blackwater permits provided by the 
City of San Diego on June 6, Ray Lutz, coordinator for Citizens' 
Oversight Projects (COPs) said, "The audit report completely sidestepped 
the most important issue: how Blackwater used the various permits and 
multiple identities to allow processing of the mercenary-type training 
facility under rubber-stamp 'Ministerial' review instead of allowing the 
public to review and approve their plans under 'Discretionary' 
processing. Finally, suing the city in federal court to force the 
permits to be issued steps far over the line of propriety, a blatant 
violation of traditional local control traditions. The character of 
Blackwater can be seen in these actions. This is not the sort of 
operation we want in this county, whether it is in Potrero or in Otay Mesa."

DIRECTIONS: 805 South to 905 East, Turn right at Britannia (just 
opposite Brown Field Control Tower), Turn left on to Siempre Viva (third 
light). Info: 619-263-9301, info at prcsd.org <mailto:info at prcsd.org> or 
www.prcsd.org <http://www.prcsd.org>

SPONSORED BY San Diego Peace Resource Center, Activist San Diego, 
CitizensOversight.org , plus others.

-- 
---------------------------------------
Raymond Lutz, Coordinator
Citizens' Oversight Projects (COPs)
P.O. Box 252             
El Cajon (San Diego Cty), CA 92022 USA
Voice 619-820-5321
http//www.CitizensOversight.org

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