By Peter Bohmer

The planning for the Olympia May Day and the resulting rally and march were a very worthwhile effort to connect the anti-war movement and GI resistance to the immigrant rights struggle within the context of the celebration of May Day--International Worker's day. I am very appreciative and supportive that the organizers made the focus and center of the May Day rally and march the Sanctuary City proposal, probably the first proposal in the country that calls for a city to be a sanctuary for both GI's and immigrants. It calls for Olympia to not arrest or detain GI’s who refuse to . . .

by Olympia PMR

Sisters Katie and Patsy Hutchison are being targeted for prosecution following questionable arrests during the November 2007 Protests in Olympia organized by Port Militarization Resistance (PMR). While 66 arrests were made during 13 days of Civil Resistance, three individuals – Shyam Khanna, Patsy Hutchison and Katie Hutchison are being selected for prosecution.

by WIP News Service

Donate to the Palestinian Children’s Welfare Fund

As was reported in WIP’s May 2008 issue, long-time peace activist Riad Hamad , who chaired the Palestinian Children’s Welfare Fund (PCWF), died in April. Palestinian Children’s Welfare Fund (PCWF.org) is a humanitarian organization made of volunteers in 10 countries. 100% of donations received are used to improve living conditions for Palestinian children in refugee camps. There are also many fair trade items for sale from Palestine including Kufiyahs, embroidery, hand-carved olive wood, olive oil and honey. All profits go . . .

by WIP News Service

During the month of May, WIPworkers were dismayed to see several of our distribution boxes damaged and their windows broken, our supply of papers depleted very quickly in some locations, and one red distribution box completely vanished under mysterious circumstances. At the risk of sounding like conspiracy theorists, we suspect sabotage. If you have noticed anything suspicious, or your neighbor suddenly has a red newspaper box with flames painted on it serving as an end-table, please let us know (olywip@gmail.com). In the meantime, to ensure your continued supply of Works In . . .

by TJ Johnson

Kudos to the staff at Works in Progress for the excellent articles in the May issue about the growing influence of development and real estate interests on the Olympia City Council.

During the course of my time on the City Council (2000-2001; 2004-2007) I witnessed a dramatic shift in how city staff and my Council colleagues approached development issues. While City leaders boast about their commitment to sustainability and the idea that growth should pay for growth, behind the scenes they are making every effort to fast track environmentally questionable projects, and using public . . .

by Christa Kilduff

In the aftermath of May Day 2008 in Olympia there has been a great deal of dialogue about the efficacy, appropriateness and objectives of the “rock throwers”. It appears as if two antagonistic forces have come to a head in Olympia: Revolutionary Discipline and The Politics of Fun. We now have a great opportunity as a community to discuss the importance of maintaining a diversity of tactics, while remaining aware of their effective application.

by Janet Blanding

Two local activist organizations have launched websites in the last few weeks, “Friends of the Waterfront,” a group which is working to preserve Olympia’s waterfront views as a public resource, and OlyPMR, which mobilizes citizens to actively resist port militarization.

The Friends of the Waterfront website (http://www.friendsofthewaterfront.org ) has been pulled together quickly in anticipation of the upcoming public hearing on June 24 regarding the proposed rezone of the isthmus area between Capitol Lake and Budd Inlet. Nevertheless, it is polished, persuasive, and replete . . .

by Mike Coday

The top law enforcement officers in Thurston County came out on May 9th with their “guiding principles” on riot control. Thurston County Sheriff Dan Kimball was quoted in the Olympian newspaper, “People expect us to show leadership, and I think this is a statement of leadership.”

These guiding principles pay lip service to civil liberties, but the only element of these principles that is powerfully stated and unequivocal is that there will be zero tolerance for property damage. These guiding principles suggest that the exercise of our most important civil liberties must be balanced . . .

by editor

editors’ note: The Evergreen State College, an award winning institution of higher learning,

attracts students from around the country

seeking an alternative and collaborative college education. Unfortunately, a disturbing

trend has evolved within the Evergreen administration, seeking to “mainstream” the college by creating a hostile environment for political organizing and dissent on campus. What is most alarming is the targeting of students

and organizations deemed to show Evergreen

by Marco Rosaire Rossi

In the predawn hours of March 1st, Colombian forces invaded and bombed Ecuador and killed at least 20 members of the rebel group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia (FARC), including leader and international spokesperson Raul Reyes. Shortly after the invasion, it was revealed that the United States not only supported the action – but helped organize it. A Colombian defense minister told Agence France Presse that the murder of Raul Reyes was only possible through the intelligence work done by the United States – enabling the location of Raul Reyes to be pinpointed . . .

by Noah Sochet, Olympia Port Militarization Resistance

In April, Olympia Port Militarization Resistance (OlyPMR) and several other peace and justice groups were invited to take part in a City sponsored dialogue about peace demonstrations at the Port of Olympia in November, 2007. At the same time, the City brought charges against three OlyPMR members who participated in these demonstrations. In the planning of the dialogue, it was decided by OlyPMR and by the representatives of the Port, the City and the Olympia Police Department, that the event should not go forward.

by Jon Kempe

Day laborers in and around Olympia are finding it a little easier to get to work these days thanks to the Industrial Workers of the World. The Olympia IWW has launched a new organizing drive among day laborers centered around a beat up old red van. The van itself belongs to an old Olympia wobbly, the insurance has been paid by the local Unitarian Universalist church and the day-to-day expenses are paid for by donations from the workers getting transportation and from the Oly General Membership Branch of the IWW.

by Bernard Roddy

The Immigration and Border Dialogues Conference took place at Evergreen State College May 15 – 18. Organizers brought together central figures in the struggle to frame border issues in terms of migration patterns and individual rights rather than criminal activity and joined the hard work of border activism with the pleasures of Latino culture.

by WIP News Service

There are local responses and events relating to the global food crisis. Heather Flores spoke at Traditions Fair Trade Cafe about her ideas on food, gardening and community on May 6th. She also sold her book Food Not Lawns which is a well-written manifesto on a holistic approach to living your politics and growing your own potatoes. Terra Commons is the local 501(c)3 entity that sponsored Heather's talk and also sponsored a slideshow by David Sansone of Perennial Harvest on May 22nd. Terra Commons has also sponsored workshops by TESC graduate Marisha Auerbach on converting . . .