16 Arrested at Beale AFB Tuesday, April 28.

Published May 16, 2015 | By Toby Blom'e

April 28: Activists blocking gate at Beale AFB photo by Guari Delgado

MARYSVILLE/BEALE AFB – Sixteen people – including military veterans, clergy, and a three-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee– were arrested early Tuesday morning as they walked past the main gate onto Beale Air Force Base, where Global Hawk Drones are operated. Several protestors were in tears as the names and ages of children killed by U.S. drones were read aloud.

Among those arrested was Nobel Peace Prize nominee Kathy Kelly from Chicago, who just finished three months in prison for attempting to deliver a loaf of bread and a letter to the base commander of a drone base in Kentucky asking him to stop piloting lethal drone flights over Afghanistan from within the base. After being arrested, protesters were cited and released. They will be arraigned in U.S. Federal Court on misdemeanor trespassing charges

Those arrested at Beale AFB Tuesday also attempted to deliver a letter to Col. Douglas J. Lee, Commander, 9th Reconnaissance Wing asking him to stop drone killings. Beale AFB provides surveillance drones for U.S. killer drones. Civilians, including hundreds of children, have been killed by U.S. drones, including two – an American and Italian – in a strike made public by Pres. Obama just last week. The letter – which Air Police accepted as they made the arrests – said in part:” Our purpose in delivering this letter is to urge you and other military and civilian leaders to end your participation in the U.S. drone warfare program and begin to work for peace. Drone have become the preferred weapons to conduct war…but these drone strikes have led to the death of hundreds of innocent civilians in countries where we are not at war, including Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia.”

Arrestees, with legal observer after release

Last month we had the largest group yet risking arrest at Beale AFB to protest the illegal and barbaric U.S. drone assassination program. Well known activists, Kathy Kelley and Brian Terrell, joined us in our direct action. Special thanks for those who traveled long distances (Iowa, Chicago, Paso Robles, Eureka, and Salinas) to be there. After being detained, cited and released we all met in a Marysville home for eloquent presentations by both Brian and Kathy. Kathy also spoke of her recent prison experience for protesting drone warfare. You can hear Kathy and Brian’s inspiring words and watch our beautiful action here:

24 minute Video by Mauro Oliveira: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SqeSTd8I8sA

Read more about our April action below, and please consider helping our campaign against drone warfare grow by joining us at Beale whenever you can.

More photos here: www.facebook.com/OccupyBealeAirForceBase

The Sacramento chapter of Veterans for Peace, which is active with the Beale demonstrations, recently helped produce the first-ever anti-drone television commercials appearing on CNN and other cable news networks in several cities surrounding U.S. air bases, including Beale. The spots implore military drone operations personnel to not obey an “immoral order” and to “refuse to fly.” The spots can be found:

http://youtu.be/ESdmex_AA3I and http://youtu.be/rEgPmlhlC7g .

For more information go to http://www.occupybealeafb.org/ or KnowDrone.com .

16 Arrested at Beale AFB Tuesday, April 28.

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