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Marine Recruiters leaving Berkeley: Truth or Hoax?

Submitted by davidswanson on Wed, 2008-04-02 01:08.


MORE PHOTOS April Fool's Day Press Release Details Vision for Peaceful Berkeley

Berkeley, California, Members of the women's peace group CODEPINK released a press release on March 31st stating that Sasha Shamszad, landlord for the Marine Recruiting Center at 64 Shattuck Square, had reached an amicable agreement with the Marines to redeploy from Berkeley, and that the Marines would be packing up by the end of April. While this stunt from the group known for bringing humor, joy, and costumed antics into the anti-war movement proved to be an April Fool's Day joke, the activists aren't kidding around when it comes to getting Marine recruiters out of Berkeley.

"Today's staged press conference with 'Sasha Shamszad', 'Marine Officer Peaceovic', and Medea Benjamin wasn't just a fun joke; we were enacting the change we want to see in our community," said Berkeley protest coordinator Zanne Sam Joi. "We can envision a Shattuck Square without the recruiting station, and now we are recommitting to take action to make it happen, with daily protests outside the station, community education, and the zoning initiative... It's about time that the Marine Recruiters and the building landlord respect the views of peace-loving Berkeley!"

One Berkeley resident baked cookies to give the recruiters in thanks for leaving her city. "I was disappointed to learn they weren't leaving, but I gave them the cookies anyway, telling them they were baked with love and that I hope they 'go in peace.'"

While many were disappointed to hear that the recruiting office isn't shutting down just yet, CODEPINK plans to beef up efforts to make this vision a reality. After all, if the mock press release was so readily believable, so too is the possibility of the station locking its doors once and for all!

The action in Berkeley today is part of a national day of April Fool's jokes aimed at creating the positive change peace activists are working to create in the coming months. CODEPINK's national leadership sent out an email alert this morning with a letter from Cong. John Conyers detailing his heartfelt realization that impeachment hearings must begin. After Downing Street sent out a mock website declaring that Nancy Pelosi had committed to stop any future bills to fund the war in Iraq. The jokes abound, but the underlying truth is serious: As the bloodshed and costs of war rise, the occupation of Iraq must end.

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