Video description (with transcription by Democracy Now):
A rally protesting the US’s concentration camps is shown taking place in a public space outside of a military base. The space is non-secured, public grounds. Further, the rally had called ahead and secured permission to congregate outside the gate briefly, to give statements to the press before moving across the street to a public park for further demonstration.
NIKKI NOJIMA LOUIS: My mother and I were incarcerated at the Puyallup fairgrounds, called Camp Harmony, and later in Minidoka, Idaho.
MILITARY POLICE OFFICER KEYES: Excuse me, people. Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen. You cannot protest on Fort Sill. If you want to protest, you have to go across the street, the highway. And that needs to happen right now. Let’s go. Let’s go. Let’s go. Now. Today!
UNIDENTIFIED: We’re not moving.
CHIZU OMORI: My name is Chizu Omori.
UNIDENTIFIED: We just have our elders, who are saying a couple more statements, please.
MILITARY POLICE OFFICER KEYES: No. No, ma’am, you may not. You may—again, I will say it—this is the last time. You cannot protest on Fort Sill. You need to move across the street. Now!
UNIDENTIFIED: Chizu, were you going to make a statement?
SATSUKI INA: Go ahead, Chizu.
MILITARY POLICE OFFICER KEYES: Apparently you didn’t hear what I said.
UNIDENTIFIED: I’m sorry, sir. Our people—
MILITARY POLICE OFFICER KEYES: You need to move! Today! Now! Right now! Move!
SATSUKI INA: Otherwise what will happen?
MILITARY POLICE OFFICER KEYES: I—I—I don’t know. I’m not going to arrest you, but you need to move now.
UNIDENTIFIED: Thank you. Continue.
MICHAEL ISHII: Then we’re not going to move.
MILITARY POLICE OFFICER KEYES: Yes, you’re going to move.
MICHAEL ISHII: If you’re not going to arrest us, we’re not going to move.
The army officer skulks away in disgrace, and is later suspended for his disgusting misconduct and for flagrantly lying and intimidating civilians while in uniform and on camera.
The crowd encourages Chizu to finish her statement.
CHIZU OMORI: OK, yes, yes. I spent three-and-a-half years at Poston, Arizona, an American concentration camp, during World War II.
Leftkist tweets: Former Japanese prisoners of American internment camps peacefully demonstrated in front of a former internment camp facility that is being set up for indefinitely holding immigrants. A military cop interrupted and began aggressively shouting at them to leave.
Heather Smith (hevsbuttons) replies: I love how the don’t budge a bit. Just wait for him to shut up so she can continue her speech.
And, just for all of the “concerned citizens” worried about “national security” in the notes:
Demonstrating outside of the gates of military bases is not against the law, a Fort Sill spokesman said. “As long as they’re obeying the law, doing it peacefully, everybody’s entitled to that right,“ they added.
Don’t be fooled by the official statements in support of the protesters, however. I guarantee you that if there hadn’t been sufficient legal and press presence at this event, that rat bastard would not have seen so much as a gentle tap on the wrist, and he was no doubt sent out specifically to harass these protesters. Because, again, they called ahead and received verbal confirmation that they were allowed to rally there.
They were almost certainly being set up.
The fact that it didn’t work, however, is something to celebrate, too.
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