author : T. J. Johnson
December 2007
TJ Johnson interviewed by Janet Blanding
TJ Johnson leaves the Olympia City Council at the end of 2007 after having served a four year term. He is also a founding member of Olympia Port Militarization Resistance. Shortly after the protests at the Port of Olympia in November 2007, he was interviewed by Janet Blanding.
Janet Blanding: When the news hit that a military shipment would be coming through Olympia again, the rumor was that Thurston County Sheriffs would be providing security for the Port. Why was it that OPD (Olympia Police Department) ended up filling that role?
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April 2007
We will be there in our ports, our streets, in our media, our jails, our courtrooms, and everywhere else they dare commit violence in our name
[Speech delivered by TJ Johnson at the March 24 Olympia peace rally]
This week we mourn the fourth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, an illegal and immoral act of aggression that many Americans now understand to be the greatest foreign policy blunder in US history. As we reflect on the past four years, it is also important to remember that the drumbeats of war began long before March 2003. In fact, they started just five hours after the terrorist . . .
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April 2007
KUOW 99.4FM -- Ross Reynolds Interview with TJ Johnson
It will take a diversity of tactics and a broad cross-section of the community to end the US occupation of Iraq
I'm Ross Reynolds in for Monday, March 12, 2007. It's The Conversation.
We begin at the Port of Tacoma, where dozens of anti-war activists have been trying to block the shipment of military vehicles to Iraq. It got a little wild late Friday night.
(Sounds of protesters singing "Give Peace a Chance," screams, gas and projectiles being fired.)
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March 2007
[On February 6, the Olympia City Council unanimously passed a resolution calling on the President and members of Congress to end the Occupation of Iraq and bring our troops swiftly and safely home. Following the unanimous ratification of the resolution, Councilmember TJ Johnson offered these comments:]
I am disappointed that this resolution is necessary.
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December 2006
I intend to oppose this ordinance for two reasons. First, because I believe it is based on a faulty assumption -- that our downtown is unsafe and that passing this ordinance will make it safer. Second, because passing this ordinance tonight is a divisive action when what this community clearly needs from its City Council is strong leadership that brings people together to create the kind of inclusive downtown that is welcoming to all and consistent with the vision of our comprehensive plan.
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September 2005
It was standing room only with overflow into the foyer. About 40 citizens actually spoke, and the end tally was 100% FOR TJ's proposed ordinance. Following the public comments, TJ delivered the remarks below. Up until then the proceedings had been very decorous and muted, but when TJ finished, the crowd erupted into a prolonged standing ovation, the likes of which I've never seen at a city council meeting. (Of course, this was not reported in The Olympian). -- Carrie Lybecker
TJ's statement:
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June 2003
by TJ Johnson
Olympia Needs Responsive Leadership
In March, I announced that I was a candidate for the Olympia City Council. Today, I'm telling you why I'm running and what I hope to accomplish, and am asking for your support.
Olympia is a great place to live, but we have the potential to be an even stronger and more vibrant community in the future. To achieve this potential we need responsive leaders who will listen to the many voices of the community, and who will bring diverse people together to identify opportunities and solve problems. I am committee to this concept of responsive leadership, . . .
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