SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Clare Grady (hands up) and her sister, Mary Anne Flores-Grady (on the left) are being arrested for protesting against drones, at the Thompson Road entrance to the New York Air National Guard. (Ellen M. Blalock / The Post-Standard)
16 Arrested in Latest Anti-Drone Protest in Upstate NY
Oct 25, 2012
Sixteen people were arrested outside the National Guard Hancock Field in Dewitt, New York Thursday morning after blocking the entrance to three gates leading into the airbase from which US predator drones are remotely controlled for overseas missions in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, and elsewhere.
The individuals taken into custory will be charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct, Onondaga County Sheriff's Lt. Curt Dailey told local press reporters. Protesters who were not risking arrest held signs up for passing cars, reading: "Bombing People Creates Terrorism"; "Drone war crimes: wars of aggression"; and "We will not be complicit in our government's war crimes."
One protester, a US army veteran who participated in the invasion of Iraq in 2003, interviewed at the scene gave his reasons why he is against the US drone program:
As the Syracuse Post-Standard reports:
Protesters arrived at the base at about 8 a.m. They blocked the main entrance, preventing cars and trucks from coming in while county deputies, DeWitt police and New York State Police conferred by a large sign marking the entrance to the base.
A second group of protesters stood across the street holding signs and yelling over the morning traffic.
A smaller number of protesters were at the other two entrances.
Hancock has been the target of several anti-drones protests in recent months and earlier, including:
- October 5, 2012: 10 Protesters Arrested at NY Drone Base
- April 23, 2012: 33 Arrested Outside Drone Base in New York State
- April 23, 2011: 37 Arrested at Hancock Air Base near Syracuse Protesting Use of Drones
# # #
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Sixteen people were arrested outside the National Guard Hancock Field in Dewitt, New York Thursday morning after blocking the entrance to three gates leading into the airbase from which US predator drones are remotely controlled for overseas missions in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, and elsewhere.
The individuals taken into custory will be charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct, Onondaga County Sheriff's Lt. Curt Dailey told local press reporters. Protesters who were not risking arrest held signs up for passing cars, reading: "Bombing People Creates Terrorism"; "Drone war crimes: wars of aggression"; and "We will not be complicit in our government's war crimes."
One protester, a US army veteran who participated in the invasion of Iraq in 2003, interviewed at the scene gave his reasons why he is against the US drone program:
As the Syracuse Post-Standard reports:
Protesters arrived at the base at about 8 a.m. They blocked the main entrance, preventing cars and trucks from coming in while county deputies, DeWitt police and New York State Police conferred by a large sign marking the entrance to the base.
A second group of protesters stood across the street holding signs and yelling over the morning traffic.
A smaller number of protesters were at the other two entrances.
Hancock has been the target of several anti-drones protests in recent months and earlier, including:
- October 5, 2012: 10 Protesters Arrested at NY Drone Base
- April 23, 2012: 33 Arrested Outside Drone Base in New York State
- April 23, 2011: 37 Arrested at Hancock Air Base near Syracuse Protesting Use of Drones
# # #
Sixteen people were arrested outside the National Guard Hancock Field in Dewitt, New York Thursday morning after blocking the entrance to three gates leading into the airbase from which US predator drones are remotely controlled for overseas missions in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, and elsewhere.
The individuals taken into custory will be charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct, Onondaga County Sheriff's Lt. Curt Dailey told local press reporters. Protesters who were not risking arrest held signs up for passing cars, reading: "Bombing People Creates Terrorism"; "Drone war crimes: wars of aggression"; and "We will not be complicit in our government's war crimes."
One protester, a US army veteran who participated in the invasion of Iraq in 2003, interviewed at the scene gave his reasons why he is against the US drone program:
As the Syracuse Post-Standard reports:
Protesters arrived at the base at about 8 a.m. They blocked the main entrance, preventing cars and trucks from coming in while county deputies, DeWitt police and New York State Police conferred by a large sign marking the entrance to the base.
A second group of protesters stood across the street holding signs and yelling over the morning traffic.
A smaller number of protesters were at the other two entrances.
Hancock has been the target of several anti-drones protests in recent months and earlier, including:
- October 5, 2012: 10 Protesters Arrested at NY Drone Base
- April 23, 2012: 33 Arrested Outside Drone Base in New York State
- April 23, 2011: 37 Arrested at Hancock Air Base near Syracuse Protesting Use of Drones
# # #
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.