Freedom Socialist • Vol. 29, No. 1 • February-March 2008

Young, female, and fearless against war
Blockaders of military shipments at Port of Olympia speak out

Kim Chaplin (left) and Shizuno Wynkoop. Credit: Megan Cornish

For 11 days in November, 2007, Port Militarization Resistance (PMR) of Olympia, Wash., used direct action, including sit-ins, to resist the military's use of city docks to unload war material. Cops used pepper spray, clubs, projectiles and "flash-bang" grenades on protesters. Sixty-six people were arrested, the majority, young women.

A women's night, held on Nov. 13, was one of PMR's largest actions. The FS interviewed two of the participants. Shizuno Wynkoop is a political activist and student at Evergreen State College. Kim Chaplin has worked in military counter-recruitment efforts in Olympia.

The interviews were conducted by Megan Cornish, an antiwar campaigner since the 1960s. Soledad Picon, a leader in student walkouts for immigrant rights in 2006, assisted in preparing this feature.

FS - How did you become convinced to take the port militarization actions?

Shizuno - There was all this anger that we are destroying a nation, a country, and a people and a culture - for money and for oil.

Kim - It's about empire, too; about taking over the earth. Every day the war goes on there's more of a permanent presence. So there's an urgency.

Shizuno - City Council is going ahead because they want to make a profit, and the police are there to protect that profit, so if we can cost them so much money, that goal is not achieved.

FS - The major role of women was striking. How did the Tuesday night women's blockade come about?

Kim - There were some feminists who knew how powerful something like that is, and realized that many women wanted to get involved but were not in an affinity group.

Shizuno - One significant thing was the ages of the young women who were arrested. It directly reflects the ages of the soldiers who are dying in Iraq.

FS - How was the blockade organized?

Shizuno - Within the support group there were medics, and legal, sign, bullhorn, and media support. In the action group, there were groups of from two to four buddies.

When I think of organizing like this I think of a body. When you're deciding the action, you create the skeleton. Then you have to wait till the day, to get the muscle and sinew on, because you need to be able to adapt to the moment. Trust yourself that you're going to know what to do, and it's going to work. And if not, you can learn from those mistakes.

FS - What were some of the highlights of that night?

Kim - Maybe about 10 people were committed to risking arrest and brutality at first. The women started gathering, and we had our beautiful women's solidarity banner. The police kept waiting, and our numbers kept growing and growing. We were chanting and singing and dancing and talking and waiting.

Shizuno - Then all of a sudden we started running into the street and sitting down. Everyone mobilized so quickly. Behind us you could feel two hundred people. The community was at our back and ready to support us. People were coming up and saying thank you! It was just amazing.

Kim - It really came together that night, and even after we sat down more people sat down, and they were young women. There was also the soldier who walked out, saying ...

Shizuno - "I'm not going to move another fucking Stryker" [vehicle] or something like that. I was part of the diversity in our group too. Olympia is not the most diverse population, so for us to have so much in our group said a lot.

FS - Were there any problems with sexism from the men?

Shizuno - The majority understood and respected why we needed to do the women's night. I heard that there were other men saying that it was exclusive but I think that was a much smaller voice. And one of the most moving experiences was when the group of allies across the intersection started yelling "ain't no power like the power of the sisters, 'cuz the power of the sisters don't stop!"

FS - Were there counter protesters?

Kim - More than any other night. Maybe Minutemen, we don't know.

Shizuno - They were yelling at the women that we should be raped and singling us out.

FS - Is the women's group planning future actions?

Shizuno -We want to stand up for human rights on a broader scale, not limited only to the war or the port. And I'm excited for this summer going down to the border.

Kim - We talked about working with the group No More Deaths.

FS - What can people do to support you?

Kim - The biggest support would be to start a PMR in your own town. Resist the military. Maybe it's a recruiting office, an army base, an airplane manufacturer.

FS - Do you have any other thoughts?

Kim - I think most people are looking for a way to participate. People who aren't involved now are just looking for a way to use their specialty on a level where they'll feel effective and safe.

Shizuno - For so long I'd been frustrated because the revolution is not happening. But then one day I had this feeling recognizing the revolution is now. It's happening in small pockets here and there, in New Orleans and other places around the world. There is a very real and tangible resistance and none of us know what's on the other end of it. We have to keep moving forward and we can't let ourselves get discouraged.

Donations to the Port of Olympia Legal Defense Fund can be sent by check to PO Box 295, Olympia, WA 98507-0295, or via PayPal to oly.port.ldf@gmail.com.