Police Shove Protesters, Demand They Stop Terrorizing Children With Evidence Of Terrorized Children

Push came to shove -- literally -- today when my husband and I attempted to block an entrance to General Dynamics' bomb factory in Saco, Maine. Our friend who was serving as police liaison later told us the chief of police was so angered by our pre-dawn appearance that he had to take a walk to cool down. Apparently we had betrayed the trust of the Saco PD who had "tried to work with you all" during past demonstrations. Inexplicably, no one was arrested and we went home with all our materials.

Many empty threats were made, however. Police threatened to arrest someone for swearing over the loudspeaker and also threatened to charge someone for the cost of cleaning up the watercolor "blood" that so appropriately filled the potholes and gutters of the GD plant's main driveway. 

They even brought out the principal of Young Elementary, a K-5 school that is directly across the street from the factory and, incidentally, the fire department. (If there's no danger to the schoolchildren from the factory then why did the town locate their new fire station rights on its doorstep?)

Many of the visuals shared today by the 35 people who turned out at dawn underscored the harm to children being done by GD bombs shipped by the U.S. and dropped on Gaza by Israel. 

There were child-size shrouds labeled with the names and ages of children from 11 months to teenagers.

There were posters made from photos of the mangled and dead children now buried in Gaza.

There was a sign focusing on a number of child amputees that was particularly moving.

There were the handcuffed and blindfolded "detainees" crying out, "They killed my children!" "What have you done with my child?"

Then there was the soundtrack with explosions, machine gun fire, and other random sounds of war. The police demanded that be turned off before the schoolchildren arrived for the day, but that was the plan all along.

School busses passing by saw quite a scene this morning. Many motorists honked and waved in solidarity. Some gave the middle finger or chanted, "Trump, Trump" as they passed. At our closing circle I picked up a Harris-Walk campaign sign that was lying on the ground.

"Taking out the trash?" asked a young activist.

It's now been a solid year of genocide in Gaza, with no end in sight. For the second time in my life the general public's discontent with a U.S. sponsored war is the issue in a presidential election that takes place a week from tomorrow.

As one of many good signs today said, "Your silence will be studied by your grandchildren."

When will we ever learn?