California Town Rejects Blackwater, Fires Council Members Who Endorsed Them

[babylonsister]

California Town Rejects Blackwater, Fires Council Members Who Endorsed Them

Posted by Paddy , Cliff Schecter's Blog at 5:33 AM on December 12, 2007.

Blackwater wanted to turn an 800-acre former chicken farm into a training camp for law enforcement officers.


http://alternet.org/blogs/peek/70388/#more

Calif. town rejects Blackwater plan

POTRERO, Calif.-Residents balked at putting a Blackwater training camp near this sleepy mountain village, voting to recall five members of an advisory planning board that endorsed the global security firm's plan.

(snip)

Hammers said the board's decision had been misconstrued, and that its goal was to investigate what jobs and other perks having Blackwater could mean for the community.

"We chose to stay engaged," said Hammers. "Certain elements made it an anti-Bush, anti-Iraq war surrogate and sold that to the community. They were successful."

Blackwater wanted to turn an 800-acre former chicken farm into a training camp for law enforcement officers. The facility would have included 11 firing ranges, a driving track and a helipad. But opposition to the plan intensified in September, after Blackwater guards were investigated in the shooting deaths of 17 Iraqi civilians in Baghdad.

A call to a Blackwater spokesman early Wednesday was not immediately returned.

[NightWatcher]

1. "and the horse they rode in on"...way to go Potrero in recalling the panel members

that recommended BUSA to your town.

[SpiralHawk]

2. Hoorah - standing up to the republicon fascist Praetorian Guard !

America don't need no steenking fascist republicon goons to protect the republicon homelander chickenhawks while trashing the freedom and democracy of the United States of America.

Support America. Support our US troops. Fire the fascist republicon homelander goon squad.

[ellacott]

3. That's great news n/t

[EnviroBat]

4. WooHoo!!!!

and they best not try to bring that shit here either!

[lonestarnot]

5. Excellent!

[reprehensor]

6. Wow... good news!

I thought that was all cancelled.

[LiberalFighter]

7. Not exactly good for economic development to use Blackwater as an incentive.

[cascadiance]

8. Wow, thanks for the good news!

For once we appear to have won a battle down here in this town. Thanks to everyone that helped make this an issue every place and reverse this. Hope that the issue is now dead, but I have a feeling that Blackwater and folks like Duncan Hunter are still going to to fight to pull some strings and work around them.

[AnotherMother4Peace]

9. I k&r'ed both these Potrero recall threads because Potrero ROCKS! n/t