Activists with the Upstate Coalition to Ground the Drones and End the Wars at Hancock Air National Guard Base stand up to the base personnel, and then to the courts in their effort to draw attention to the expanding Drone force there. This video is from 8 years ago, but the Anti-Drone coalition from across upstate New York has been active for more than a decade, since the base began it’s transformation into a hub for Killer Drones. Hancock is a national training hub for drone technicians and engineers, as well as a location where drones are flown over West Asia and elsewhere 24/7.
At the time this video was made, the court showed its frustration with activists repeatedly committing dastardly acts of civil resistance, usually standing, sitting or otherwise occupying their driveway. At least a dozen activists arrested on one day were served with conventional orders of protection. This is a very odd use for an instrument created to restrain abusive spouses and stalkers. The claimant on these orders was the base colonel, an man whom none of us had every met, nor did we know where exactly his office was, where he lived or even what he looked like. Dealing with these ‘Orders of Protection’ became a years long oppression for some of the activists involved.
Here is a slice of their story:
Upstate Drone Action continues today, though the publicity is less.
