United for Peace of Pierce County, WA - We nonviolently oppose the reliance on unilateral military actions rather than cooperative diplomacy.

On Wednesday the editorial board of the Olympian attacked the Olympia Port Militarization Resistance movement, accusing it of "regrettable" and "abhorrent behavior" and demanding that protesters be held "individually accountable."[1] -- At the same time, it condoned brutal and unjustifiable police violence unleashed upon nonviolent citizens bravely standing up in resistance of a war the Olympian claims to oppose....

The United States continues to wage an unwinnable war in Iraq. In a misguided attempt to end that war, protesters have taken to the streets of Olympia this week to block the shipment of military equipment COMING HOME from that war.

While we fully agree with the protesters that the war should end immediately and the troops should be reunited with their families directly, protesters have crossed the line of peaceful protest and deserve to be punished for their regrettable behavior.

This newspaper has taken a strong stand against the war in Iraq. On the Fourth of July, we called for an end to the hostilities and an immediate withdrawal of troops. We asked how many more Americans will forfeit their lives on the battlefield and how many more tax dollars will be spent to stall America's inevitable departure? We said, "It's time to end the American bloodshed. It's time to bring the troops home."

While we are firmly against President Bush's war and while we fully support protesters' right to peaceably assemble, we condemn the tactics that have played out on the streets of the capital city this week. When protesters resorted to blocking roads, dragging debris into the middle of downtown streets, breaking windows, destroying public property, damaging police cars, and hurling rocks at police, they clearly crossed the line. Their peaceful assembly evolved into lawbreaking and they must be held individually accountable.

It's been a dramatic, emotional, and volatile week on the streets of Olympia, with police officers in their black riot gear and gas masks squared off against rowdy protesters, many in dark clothing with their faces covered in masks or bandanas.

It began with the arrival of the USNS Brittin on Nov. 5. Equipment used by the Stryker Brigade Combat Team, was off-loaded at the Port of Olympia in preparation for shipment to Fort Lewis.

Nov. 6 saw about 150 protesters on Percival Landing near the ship carrying signs protesting the war. Members of the Olympia Port Militarization Resistance promised a peaceful protest.

Two people were arrested the next day as calm protests escalated after protesters jumped in front of departing vehicles. Many in the community find this attempt to stop the movement of equipment returning from Iraq senseless. It's not equipment headed to the battlefield.

Nov. 8 was quiet with no shipments leaving the port. Last Friday, about 40 people blocked the paths of two trucks and police said they did not have the officers to remove the protesters.

Emboldened by their brief success, protesters were back on the streets Saturday in multiple locations blocking motorists. Police used pepper spay to clear a path for the military convoy. Twelve people were arrested. Early Sunday morning, protesters clashed with police anew. Three more individuals were arrested.

Sunday night, Olympia Councilman TJ Johnson added fuel to the fire when he held a community meeting at City Hall where protesters whined about their treatment at the hands of police.

Surely protesters understand that when they put themselves in harm's way they put themselves at risk. They cannot expect to be treated gently by police. Videos from the scene show armed police officers repeatedly warning protesters to clear the streets and stop blocking traffic or face arrests. Protesters didn't budge until doused with pepper spray, pushed back on the sidewalks with batons, or arrested and carried away to a police vehicle.

But they asked for it. Police are literally and figuratively caught in the middle between the port and the fort. Police have a job to do and that's to ensure that laws aren't broken. Blocking streets and interfering with the rights of others are acts against the law and police responded accordingly. This isn't a case of police run amok like we saw during the Vietnam protests of the 1960s.

Supporters of the troops have staged their own counter demonstration, provoking protesters and urging police to wield their batons as clubs. The pro-troop folks have been a big part of the problem, too.

When cops don't have the manpower to respond to 40 protesters blocking a Stryker vehicle, the cops are demonized in the community for not doing their jobs. When police repeatedly plead with protesters to clear the streets and are met with stubborn refusals, they have little option but to resort to batons and pepper spray. Then they are accused of police brutality. They are trying to restore order at a chaotic time and draw criticism and second-guessing at every turn.

But as City Manager Steve Hall has said, after the dust settles, police will review their response, learn from any mistakes that might have been made, then change procedures for the next confrontation.

Monday was relatively peaceful because the Army didn't move equipment in a convoy. Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning all hell broke loose with 51 arrests among 200 protesters, fogs of pepper spray, concussion grenades, a smashed police car window, an injured officer, and shattered windows at U.S. Bank.

And Olympian staff members have been caught right in the middle of it. Our photographers and reporters have suffered from effects of pepper spray, too, and a videographer was struck in the face with a pepper-spray pellet. One photographer was forced to dial 9-1-1 for assistance when he was backed against a fence by angry protesters. Our employees were simply doing their job -- reporting and recording in words, photos and videos, a major news event unfolding in the capital city. We're exceptionally proud of the job they have done as working journalists.

We are not proud of the way the protesters have behaved. They have tarnished the anti-war effort with their lawless antics. While we fully support their view that the war in Iraq must end, we disagree with their methods. Their non-peaceful efforts have not been effective, safe, fair, or productive. They've not stopped a single piece of military equipment from getting to Fort Lewis.

They have broken the law and further divided this community. They must be held accountable for their abhorrent behavior.