Shut Down Creech and Ground the Drones:
Fall Action, October 15-22, 2022
Ban Killer Drones
(October 25, 2022) —Shut Down Creech is a 13 year campaign to Shut Down the illegal US Drone Program by mobilizing people from across the country to gather for nonviolent resistance at the “Papa Daddy” of all US drone bases, Creech AFB. Our fall action was an amazing week with lots of stories to share. A longer report back will follow soon.
For now, here are some photos to begin telling the story of what we accomplished, working together in peaceful community. Each morning and afternoon vigil had a specific theme highlighting the different reasons for “being there,” and to try to connect the dots between the US Drone Program, the abuses of global militarization and domination, and their effects on Mother Earth, the climate, the communities targeted by US Drone Strikes, our military personnel, and our democracy.
Watch this video of our Creechers, produced by John Amidon.
On Wednesday morning we had a successful nonviolent resistance blockade to interrupt business as usual on the base and express our deepest sentiment:
“You do not have our consent.”
Ultimately 3 women, including 2 grandmothers, were arrested, detained, cited and released, thankfully bypassing the Las Vegas jail. This action was in coordination with anti-drone groups across the country who had simultaneous solidarity actions throughout the week to support Shut Down Creech week. Most or all of us used the shared messaging: “CAN YOU SEE YOU ARE MURDERING ME.”
Huge gratitude to all the people who came throughout the week and contributed in so many ways.
Together we all made a difference, planting seeds for the future. It is our hope we moved many hearts and minds at Creech AFB and elsewhere.
Resources:
www.ShutDownCreech.blogspot.com
www.BanKillerDrones.org
www.CODEPINK.org
www.VeteransForPeace.org
A message for the Creech pilots who remotely guide the drones.
A funeral march on the perimeter of Creech AFB.
“The Creechers” underline the Effects of Militarization on Our Mother Earth and the Climate.
“The Creechers” gather to condemn the use of drones.
Awaiting arrest at the gates of t.he Creech AFB
Grandmothers Arrested at Assassin Drone Base
Killer Drone Base Blockaded to Oppose
Remote-Controlled Killing of Humans
Toby Blomé and Virginia Hauflaire / Shut Down Creech
LAS VEGAS, NV (October 25, 2022) — Anti-drone activists, here for a weeklong protest at a US assassin drone base just north of Las Vegas, increased their resistance this morning, Wednesday, October 19, with a peaceful nonviolent blockade of the entrance road into Creech Air Force Base in Indian Springs, NV that lasted nearly two hours — three protestors were arrested.
Dozens, maybe hundreds, of vehicles were stalled on the highway trying to enter the base. Protestors hope to motivate Air Force personnel involved in the US drone program to follow their conscience and no longer participate.
Protesters held life-sized cardboard cut-outs of 4 of the 7 children from the Ahmadi family who were killed by a US drone attack in Kabul in August 2021, and held two signs that read: “A Call To Conscience” and “Can You See, You Are Murdering Me.”
Ultimately 2 grandmothers, and a third elder female were arrested, detained for over 30 minutes, and ultimately cited and released.
Thousands of unarmed civilians have been killed in US drone strikes according to independent investigative NGOs, including hundreds of children.
“Assassination is illegal by both International and national laws,” said Toby Blome, one of the organizers. “By carrying these cardboard figures with the names and ages of some of the children killed (Ayat, age 2; Sumiya, age 2; Benyamin age 3, Armin, age 4,) it is our hope to memorialize and humanize the drone victims and to emphasize the tragic side of the secret, US drone program that should never have been developed.”
Participants in the weeklong protest are calling for a worldwide international ban of all armed and militarized drones.
Protests Continue at Creech AFB
Co-Sponsored by: CODEPINK, Women for Peace; Veterans For Peace; and Ban Killer Drones
LAS VEGAS, NV — Anti-drone protestors are converging at Creech Air Force Base, a key US drone control base north of Las Vegas for a week of coordinated actions, Oct. 17-21, during commute hours, M-F (6:30-8:30am and 3:30-5:30pm), when hundreds of base personnel flood into and out of the base from/to Las Vegas.
Organizers said the protests would culminate in a Wednesday morning nonviolent blockade of the military base. Arrests are expected.
Anti-war cable TV spots on CNN and MSNBC — produced by BanKillerDrones.org and featuring voice-over by actor Martin Sheen — have been airing, including this weekend, Oct. 15 and 16 in President Biden’s weekend hometown, Wilmington, DE. The commercials, as well as counseling resources for drone operators, may be found at https://bankillerdrones.org.
Protestors charge militarized drones are rapidly proliferating around the globe, with dozens of countries now possessing their own armed drones, unmanned planes that, controlled from afar, are used to remotely fire their deadly missiles against “suspected targets.”
Through prolonged protests, activists, from as far away as New York, California, and Hawaii, intend to communicate their grievances to the Pentagon and federal government about the alarming issues that assassin drones raise, including high civilian death rates, violations of international laws, moral injury to drone operators, and the rapidly increasing destabilization of international relations.
Participants will show the current conflict in Ukraine, with Iranian-made drones used by Russia competing with Turkish-made drones used by Ukraine, as a perfect example of the worsening global instability that is created by these militarized drones.
Protestors are seeking an international ban to prohibit killer drones worldwide.
“Overwhelming evidence supports that weaponized drones do not make us safer, but instead they create more enemies abroad by terrorizing communities and killing innumerable innocent bystanders, ultimately helping to recruit individuals into radicalized militant organizations,” argues Toby Blomé, one of the organizers of the bi-annual extended protest called “Shut Down Creech.”
Members of Shut Down Creech are part of a network of anti-Drone groups collaborating under the umbrella organization, Ban Killer Drones, working to ban the use of armed drones globally.
Throughout the week, other US anti-drone groups are holding simultaneous protests at US drone control bases in Pennsylvania, Iowa, New York and Arizona, and elsewhere in solidarity with Shut Down Creech week, and as a united front calling to halt the use of armed drones.
The US has never held high-ranking military officers accountable when US drone attacks have caused the killing of innocent lives, like the August 2021 US drone attack in Kabul, Afghanistan that killed seven members of the Ahmadi family, including children. Instead, drone whistleblower Daniel Hale is currently serving the 2nd year of his 45-month sentence for leaking military documents that exposed drone war crimes, and the resulting high civilian death toll.
“When whistleblowers are imprisoned, and war criminals are protected, then we have a truly failing democracy,” said Blomé.
As a complimentary event to Shut Down Creech week, the sneak preview of a new drone documentary, Battles beyond the Horizon will be shown Thursday night at University of Nevada, Las Vegas at 7 pm. A post-film panel discussion will include a couple of the Shut Down Creech activists, including retired US Army Colonel and former US Diplomat, Ann Wright, now turned full-time peace activist.
The Creech AFB protests included daily demonstrations (M-F) during commute hours, 6:30-8:30 AM and 3:30-5:30 PM, (except for Thursday and Friday afternoons) with varying daily themes, including a Drone Victim Funeral Procession, “War is A Lie” (Presidents Lie, Congress Lies, CIA Lies, Recruiters Lie, etc.), “Creechers for the Planet” (Connecting the dots between global militarization and climate chaos/environment degradation), and GI Rights/Support, GI Education, and GI Resistance.
During Wednesday’s blockade, protesters will memorialize many of the past victims killed by a US drone strikes, with signs of their names, ages and, if known, the occupations of adult victims, while also holding life-sized cardboard figures representing some of the victims, in an effort to humanize the “collateral damage.” The primary banner to be used: “Can You See, You are Murdering Me?” This same message will be used on banners displayed at other drone base protests throughout the country this week.
One younger activist, Vera Anderson, from Las Vegas, now a graduate student in New York, states it simply and directly, “All human beings have the right to life!”
An open letter to the commander of the base and to President Biden will be hand delivered to base personnel in an effort to call for an immediate ceasing of all drone attacks, and calling for an international ban by all nations.
“People need to realize that not only are a lot of civilians being killed, the drones are terrorizing entire communities by their mere presence in the sky,” said Fred Bialy, a retired emergency room physician participating in the week of protest. “Weaponized drones are steadily proliferating around the globe…they should be banned completely,” he added.
More information at:
ShutDownCreech.blogspot.com
BanKillerDrones.org
CODEPINK.org
VeteransForPeace.org
