Recruiting Center Trashed in Berkeley
March 20, 2009
Oakland Tribune
BERKELEY, Calif. -- Windows were smashed and red paint was splashed Wednesday night on the Marine Corps recruiting center, which has been the target of protests for the past 18 months.
The incident, which came on the eve of the sixth anniversary of the Iraq war, was caught on tape by a surveillance camera about 8:55 p.m. at the center in downtown Berkeley, police said.
Police have not made any arrests but are reviewing the tape, Sgt. Mary Kusmiss said.
Police did arrest a "person of interest" not far from the recruiting center on an unrelated warrant Wednesday night.
Police found a sledgehammer and a crowbar in a nearby garbage can that they are reviewing as evidence.
After breaking windows and defacing the Marine Corps logo at the center, the half-dozen vandals wearing dark clothing scattered in three different directions, police said. The suspects' faces were covered, police said.
In addition to the video, police said about six people witnessed the incident.
Sasha Shamszad, owner of the building at 64 Shattuck Square, said that replacing the two plate glass windows, which were peppered with fist-size holes and red paint that looks like blood, will cost $4,000 to $5,000.
"There are so many other ways to express your feelings besides destroying things," Shamszad said. "This is just stupid."
Shamszad said he has never had any intention of asking the Marines to leave their spot because the rental is just business.
"They're just another tenant," he said. "You can't pick and choose your tenants by politics because everyone thinks differently. I'm a professional."
Shamszad said there is a video camera next to the windows that the vandals smashed, so he does not think it will be too difficult to identify them.
The windows were boarded with plywood Wednesday night and early Thursday but were being replaced Thursday afternoon.
CodePink and other anti-war groups have protested in front of the recruiting center since fall 2007. The groups say the Marines do not belong in liberal Berkeley and that they should find a new spot for their center. The Marines have a lease through the end of this year and have said they have no plans to leave before then, a spokeswoman repeatedly has said.
Last year, the situation heated up when the Berkeley City Council called the Marines "uninvited and unwelcome intruders" and made clear its intention to send a letter to the Marines stating that sentiment.
The council's statement set off a firestorm with everyone from Republican lawmakers, who threatened to pull money earmarked for the city, to military mothers, who rallied in front of City Hall.
The council later voted 7-2 to pull back on its original intention to send a letter and instead issued a new statement, acknowledging "the recruiters' right to locate in our city and the right of others to protest or support their presence."
Can we kick out Berkely already?
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Originally Posted by The Guide
