Report Back: Shut Down Travis AFB
Don’t Ship Weapons for Genocide!
Dec. 28, 2023 Action. North Gate photo by David Solnit
CODEPINK
WATCH these powerful video montages:
- No Weapons for Genocide: Shut Down Travis AFB! (3 min. by Peter Menchini)
- Gates Blocked at Travis Air Force Base (4 min by Art Koch)
All Gates Shut Down for 1 to 4+ hours!
14 Activists Arrested for nonviolently
resisting US funded genocide!
150+ supporters rallied for Palestine!
Toby Blomé / CODEPINK
(January 2, 2023) — Magical and beautiful trouble-making took place at Travis Air Force Base, a huge military transport base in Fairfield, CA, on December 28. Organized primarily by SF Bay Area CODEPINK and Occupy Beale AFB, a coalition of local peace & justice and labor organizations and friends of Palestine, united over a 3 week period, to plan for “SHUT DOWN TRAVIS AFB.” Travis has been sending US weapons to Israel during its 3 month genocidal bombing campaign and siege on Gaza, thus making it complicit in the horrific indiscriminate killing and destruction that continues.
150+ people of conscience gathered near the base, in the darkness of the early drizzly morning (5:30 am), to bring attention to and peacefully resist Travis’ complicity in genocide. Two main commute gates, “Main Gate” & “Hospital Gate,” were already closed with large plastic barricades by Travis personnel and remained closed for over 4 hrs! Thank you Travis!
Activists split into 3 groups. One group of over 50 people, led by Youth 4 Palestine members, rallied near the closed gates for 3+ hrs, where traffic was being diverted. Throughout the morning cars arriving at the closed gates were forced to make u-turns in front of a passionately chanting crowd that displayed Palestinian flags, keffiyehs, large banners, signs and other visuals. The Main Gate and the Hospital Gate remained closed for over 4 hrs!
The remaining activists split into two groups, and headed to the two open gates: The North Gate and the South (Truck Delivery) Gate. After arriving at the gates, some from each group took large banners into the street to nonviolently halt Travis’ role in crimes of genocide.
Cars flooding into these two gates, many coming from the closed gates, quickly backed up and were stalled for well over an hour by the peaceful blockaders. This was a clear call to conscience to AF Base personnel trying to enter. Leaflets were offered to nearby drivers provided information about the devastating Israeli assault on Gaza along with resources for help to military personnel who might be questioning their involvement in the war.
Some drivers nodded in support of our action and a few offered words of solidarity, such as “I support you,” and “God Bless You.” Some of us also attempted to educate the military airmen standing nearby about the situation in Gaza, and what motivated our actions. Memorably, one young man in uniform gave steady eye contact throughout, fully attending to what was being said; he nodded his head in agreement with almost every sentence said.
We continued chanting and singing while displaying large banners such as:
“NO US WEAPONS FOR GENOCIDE
Stop Illegal War Crimes Against Civilians
SEND FOOD TO GAZA; NO WEAPONS TO ISRAEL
At the North Gate, there was ongoing chanting and a passionate public reading of a letter to the base commander addressing Travis’ complicity in the bombing of Gaza and Israel’s acts of genocide.
Early on at the North Gate, one activist, acting out of deep passion for the people of Gaza, chose not to clear a path for a police van when asked to do so.. She went limp, falling to the ground in determined resistance; she was the first arrest of the day.
At the South Gate, a large banner read “STOP SENDING WEAPONS,” small child-size forms, wrapped in white bloody shrouds, were laid in the roadway; one activist wrapped himself in a bloody shroud on the ground nearby as well. The South Gate was dominated by heartfelt singing, as well as chanting.
After holding the blockades at both gates for over an hour, and giving multiple verbal warnings to disperse, Fairfield police at the North Gate and local Sheriff officers at the South Gate moved in to make arrests of all those standing in the roadway.
Meanwhile two other activists, with the large Send Food to Gaza, No Weapons to Israel banner, steadily moved deeper onto base property at the North Gate. They were hoping to maximize the chance of a Federal arrest, since it was the federal government that is complicit in the criminal acts of genocide. After all previous arrests were made by Fairfield police, a line of helmeted police began rapidly approaching them. The two activists moved deeper onto base property, reaching the “check-point booths.” Curiously, even though numerous Travis security police were scattered around them, they made no attempts to make arrests, though they “gently discouraged them” from further movement into the base. Ultimately, Fairfield police arrested them. It was clear that Travis personnel were given clear orders not to make arrests that day.
Gratefully no activists sustained significant injuries, though a few officers got unnecessarily aggressive during arrests.
By 8:30 am, all arrests had been made, 10 at the North Gate and 4 at the South Gate. Arrestees were kept in police vans for an extended time and ultimately processed and booked into Solano County jail. All 14 were released by about 2:30 pm, within a short time of each other. They were greeted by a wonderful jail support crew who welcomed them home to their “tribe.” Thank you jail support folks! The pizza waiting for us was deeply appreciated!
Arrestees were all given a court date of February 28, 2024; all were charged with “failure to disperse” violations.
It was a most successful action, helping to build new connections in the local peace and justice community, getting outstanding mainstream media coverage (16 media links listed below), effectively interrupting “business as usual” at all Travis Gates from 1 to 4+ hours, and challenging base personnel to think about what they are being asked to do. The leaflets provided military with veteran support services.
Much gratitude to all who contributed in oh so many ways.
Special thanks to:
-Local NLG lawyers who are/have provided amazing support, including online “Legal Observers Training” and “Know Your Rights” training days before, and will give follow-up help with legal cases.
-All Videographers and photographers who documented the amazing people power presence at all gates during our extraordinarily successful action: RISE UP FOR PALESTINE! Special thanks to Peter Menchini and Art Koch who spent many hours to create the beautiful video montages, using an assortment of video contributions from many.
-All arrestees who took risks amidst the “unknown”…and special thanks to a couple of young first-time arrestees! Power to the People and Nonviolent Action!
Our New Year’s Wish:
IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE IN GAZA! END THE SEIGE NOW! May the people of Gaza soon find a lasting peace, get immediate international aid for life-saving essential needs, and meaningful financial support for reconstructing their homes and infrastructure. May all the people of Palestine, incl. Palestinians, Jews and Christians, have permanent and full fledged freedom and equal rights, From the River to the Sea. Freedom & Justice for All. Diplomacy not War.
STOP the GENOCIDE!
Full Sponsor List HERE
Tons of Videos and photos here:
(Please credit videographers if using)
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1rIKcT3RrodWahWpkrAQqbO0uY5lvWVvC?usp=sharing
MORE VIDEO From LaborVideo/Steve Zeltzer:
Travis AFB Protest To Stop US Arms
To Israel STOP The Genocidal War Crimes
Jailed Travis 14 Get Out Of Jail
(LaborVideo/Steve Zeltzer)
MEDIA COVERAGE:
CODEPINK Story by Melissa Garriga
• Multiple people arrested during protest against Israel-Hamas war outside Travis Air Force Base (Fox40)
• https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/12/29/rally-outside-travis-to-assail-bases-complicity-in-genocide-in-gaza/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rkkt22LtaVc
• https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/fairfield/14-pro-palestinian-protest-arrest-travis-air-force-base/103-f9e373c5-17e3-4026-a03e-9aade4e5a8f1
• https://www.abc10.com/video/news/politics/14-pro-palestinian-protesters-arrested-after-blocking-travis-air-force-base-access/103-c91aeffc-7e6b-432a-941a-981ed79888df
• https://www.abc10.com/gallery/news/local/fairfield/pro-palestinian-protest-outside-travis-air-force-base-in-fairfield/103-b87126dd-0a9b-4ea7-81ea-270c9d6137cd
• https://www.ktvu.com/news/14-arrested-during-gaza-ceasefire-protest-at-travis-air-force-base
• https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/14-arrested-during-protest-at-travis-air-force-base/vi-AA1maVtQ
• https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/14-pro-palestinian-protesters-arrested-after-blocking-travis-air-force-base-access/ar-AA1mapRm
• https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/fourteen-arrested-at-travis-air-force-base-during-gaza-war-protest/
• https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/sanfrancisco/news/travis-afb-gaza-ceasefire-protesters-block-entrance-14-arrested-fairfield-pd/
• https://www.sfchronicle.com/crime/article/travis-air-force-base-gaza-protest-arrests-18578712.php
• https://news.yahoo.com/14-arrested-during-protest-travis-021613027.html?fr=yhssrp_catchall
• https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1rIKcT3RrodWahWpkrAQqbO0uY5lvWVvC?usp=sharing
• https://news.yahoo.com/14-arrested-during-protest-travis-021613027.html?fr=yhssrp_catchall
• https://news.yahoo.com/fourteen-arrested-travis-air-force-231950983.html?fr=yhssrp_catchall
Final Media Release:
UPDATE * 14 ARRESTED IN GAZA PROTEST AT AIR BASE
14 peace activists were arrested early (about 8:30 a.m.) Thursday morning for misdemeanor unlawful assembly charges and taken to the Solano County jail in Fairfield. As of 3:00 p.m. all had been released with February court dates after blocking gates to Travis AFB, starting at 6 a.m. – all four gates were eventually closed to all traffic entering the base.
URGENT NEWS ADVISORY
For Thursday, Dec. 28, 2023
Press Contacts:
Noor Hariz, Youth4Palestinians-Sacramento: (916) 502-2900
Toby Blomé, Bay Area CODEPINK, 510-501-5412 Toby4Peace@sonic.net <Toby4Peace@sonic.net>
Jeffrey Gottesman, Nevada County Peace & Justice Center, (510) 414-0196
PEACE ACTIVISTS DEMONSTRATE at MAIN GATES of TRAVIS AFB THURSDAY, PROTEST U.S. SENDING WEAPONS to AID ISRAEL GAZA GENOCIDE
FAIRFIELD, CA – Dozens of activists representing a diverse solidarity coalition from SF Bay Area to Sacramento and the Foothills supporting the people of Palestine will arrive at the main gates to Travis AFB Thursday, Dec. 28 in the early morning hour of 6 a.m., to demand Travis AFB stop sending U.S weapons to Israel, aiding a near 3 month long ongoing genocide.
Activists will use chants/banners like “STOP TRAVIS, NO US WEAPONS for GENOCIDE!” and “SEND FOOD to GAZA, NO WEAPONS TO ISRAEL!”
Members of Youth4Palestine-Sacramento, SF Bay Area CODEPINK, Nevada County Peace & Justice Center, Veterans For Peace, and many other organizations are expected to participate. List of Sponsors and Endorsers HERE
Where: Main Gate, Travis Air Force Base, Air Base Parkway, Fairfield, CA
What/When: PROTEST/RALLY: 6:00 am – 9:00am
What: Bannering & Signs, Street theater, Chants and Song and other diverse tactics will be used.
Some people may choose nonviolent resistance to impede ‘business as usual’ to express their strong grievances for the US government’s complicity in the unspeakable crimes and devastation being committed in Gaza.
At a time when 70% of Americans polled, including 80% of Democrats, support a ceasefire resolution, it is appalling that the vast majority of Congress and our Democratic president are inhibiting a ceasefire, and continuing to send military aid to Israel.
Experts on genocide have been claiming that Israel’s actions are a textbook case of genocide and ethnic cleansing. “We have very few choices left, but to call on our own military to act out of conscience, and stand up for basic human rights of the Palestinian people,” says Toby Blomé, one of the organizers.
Dec. 28, to express our united support of Palestine and our opposition to sending more weapons to Israel,” said one of the other co-organizers.
Background
Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, CA, is the largest transport AF base in the U.S. and is actively sending military supplies directly to Israel, to aid and abet in Israel’s ceaseless bombing of Gaza. Travis is complicit in genocide.
Over 20,000 Palestinians have been killed, including 8,000+ children. 1/2 to 1/3 of homes in Gaza have been destroyed. Hospitals, as well as ambulances, hospital workers and patients, many in critical condition, have all been targeted. Healthcare services for survivors with serious wounds are almost non-existent, due to severe shortages of essential medical supplies and medical workers. In addition, mass displacement of Palestinians amidst severe shortages of food, water, fuel, and shelter is aggravating an already dire situation.
