ProActivist.com

The Protest

Sometimes the goal of a protest is too lofty, just too far out of reach. This does not make the protest a bad idea, nor should it dissuade people from making their statements. But, it can be a sad reminder of how far we have to go to achieve our goals. In the end, it can be like throwing a stone into a lake to raise the water level. If enough people throw rocks in, however, the water will indeed rise. The protests at the Cassini launch in Florida were just like that. While so many of us hoped that the U.S. government would stop the launch, in reality the only thing we could do was raise awareness of what was going on.

I sat outside outside the Cape Canaveral Air Force Base for almost three days, most of that time with a man by the name of Kevin Marsh, an activist from northern California who had traveled thousands of miles, just as I had, to protest at the Cassini launch. After hours and hours of conversation with him, as well as talking with many other activists, I can honestly say I learned a lot about dedication and activism.

I flew into Orlando on only a week’s notice after hearing about the Cassini protests on CNN and how over a thousand people had gathered outside the gates of Cape Canaveral Air Force Base on October 5. Several people were arrested for trespassing when they climbed the razor wire fence, including several members of Grandmothers For Peace. When I saw those women, some of whom were easily in their 70’s or older, I knew I had to take part. Unfortunately, the vast majority of activists only participated on October 5th and not up until the final days before launch when I was there. As a result, the photographs you see here represent only a fraction of all those people who participated.

I hesitate to be too critical of the efforts of the Cassini protest organizers. They certainly had the best intentions and they did a wonderful job orchestrating the October 5th event which was picked up by the media worldwide. However, they made several strategic errors, at least in my opinion, that led to major problems as the time of the launch got closer and closer. This included where they chose to protest as well as the claims that were made to the media which later came to haunt them.        

October 11, 1997

I drove straight to the Cape and immediately went to the Visitor’s Center, a place I considered a logical outpost for other activists. However, no one was there, nor were there any activists outside the federal property line which was about ten miles west of the Visitor’s Center. I drove around for about two hours until I noticed a vehicle in front of me with several progressive bumper stickers. At that point I had nothing to lose, so I followed them. They drove straight to the gates of Cape Canaveral Air Force Base where approximately 75 other activists had gathered. I was immediately annoyed by this since it took me so long to find the location and it was most definitely out of the way. The only people who would pass through those gates were military personnel, Department of Defense civilian employees, and people from NASA. There was absolutely no reason why any of the tourists would even come near this location. With these thoughts going through my mind I approached one of the head organizers and asked him why they chose to place themselves at the Air Force Base and not nearer the Visitor’s Center where all the tourists were. The man seemed a little annoyed, rightfully so since I was an outsider, and responded that it was symbolic of the hidden agenda behind the Cassini launch. He explained how this was just another step towards the militarization of space and that, further, Cassini would be launched there and not at the normal launch pads over at NASA. He also told me that the large perimeter of federal land around the Visitor’s Center prohibited the protesters from being there. At this point I figured I had been rude enough already, so I did not state what I was thinking: Why not protest right outside the border of federal property where we would be assured that the tourists would see us? While I didn’t know it then, the chosen location would be a problem later on when it came closer to launch time.

However, as everyone joined in a circle, this would also be the beginning of
our hard lesson on why the Air Force Base was not the best location to place
ourselves.  

Five police officers approached the group.  They were polite, didn’t seem too
eager to start anything, but their posture was a giveaway.  Some of them
rested their hands on their hips, and all of them had dark sunglasses on that
hid their eyes.   Because I looked like a typical press photographer one of
them approached me and said, “You should move your car because we’re going to
be towing in about ten minutes.”   I nodded and thanked him.  I continued to
take photos.  Astonishingly, none of the officers bothered to pass this
information on to the demonstrators.  It was as if the police were standing
there with grins on their faces with the knowledge that the protest would be
quickly broken up with a mere tow truck.  Obviously, this information had not
been passed on to everyone else, only the photographers.  At that point I
pulled one of organizers aside and told them what was going to happen.  They
quickly notified the rest of the group.

What was immediately evident about this police behavior was that it was
specifically targeted at the protesters and was done only after the TV news
crews had left.  Several cars were parked beside the road that belonged to
people fishing or boating.  At least at that time, the police made no move to
threaten those vehicles, only those of the protesters.  As for the departure
of the TV crews, this police pattern of harassment would repeat itself over
and over the next couple of days.  When they were present, we could park where
we wanted.  When they left, it was move ‘em or lose ‘em.  The only exception
to this was right before the launch when all vehicles, including the media,
were barred from being within a half mile of the Air Force Base gates.  Our
location, again, led to further difficulties as the time of launch got closer
and closer.  Adding further insult to the situation was the absolute false
politeness with which the officers conducted themselves.  Even when confronted
with the fact that they were threatening only protestors vehicles while
ignoring everyone else’s they smiled and denied the charge.  Of course, it did
help keep everyone’s communication civil, but it was of no comfort to have a
police officer lie to your face and then grin.  
Sunday, October 12, 1997
Arriving back at the Air Force gates I was disappointed to see a lot fewer
protesters.  In fact, there was perhaps only a handful.  It was a different
kind of day, too.  It was as if there was a changing of the guard.  Most of
the protesters that turned up had never taken part in any anti-Cassini events
until then.  Meanwhile, those who had been the most active prior to the launch
weren’t there.  This, however, was partly due to one of the strategic errors
of the organizers.


From the onset many of the most vocal opponents to this launch claimed 



that it would be certain disaster when Cassini lifted off the launch pad.  This turned
into a horrible  situation of hollering wolf too many times.  Because those
people claimed disaster was imminent, they could not be at the launch to
protest because it would negate their entire argument.  Thus, many protesters
resigned themselves to staying home or even leaving the state of Florida
entirely.  Of course, we all did have legitimate concerns for the safety of
all humanity.   After all, the worst odds of disaster were one in twenty,
based on the number of explosions NASA has had at launch using the Titan
rocket, the model used to lift Cassini.  Those are not good odds, but it is
not an assurance of disaster, either.  This argument did lead, however, to the
media’s attempt to discredit all our efforts.  Once Cassini lifted off safely,
we looked like utter fools, in both the eyes of the media and those of our
critics.  Of course, safety was an obvious reason to protest this launch.  Our
government was simply arrogant to take chances with our lives like that.  But,
it should not have been the primary reason presented to the media.

Those who did show up on this day seemed resolute, despite the critical media.
Two counter protesters showed up as well and stationed themselves right across
the road from us.  As the day progressed our own numbers dwindled.   Kevin
Marsh, the activist from northern California, and myself weren’t leaving.  We
were camped for the night in preparation for the early morning’s launch.
Another protester, a local woman who had been watching the protests on the
television, just decided to show up.  By late afternoon there was just the
three of us.

While Kevin and I sat under the shade of a palm tree talking, this woman paced
the roadside all by herself with her picket sign.   She was what Howard Zinn
means when he talks about single individuals doing something to change the
world.  While most of the demonstrators were hardcore activists, this woman
was just a concerned local citizen who decided to act on the spur of the
moment.  Of all the people I met that weekend, this woman by far was the most
inspirational.  It is people like her that we must reach, must communicate
better with if we are to succeed in our efforts.

Later that night, as Kevin and I continued to sit at our post near the Air
Force Base gates, she brought us sandwiches and drinks.

The media concentrated all their focus on Kevin Marsh during this period.  It
was their angle.  “The one lone protester” he was called, despite my presence
and that of other protesters who showed up off and on during the night.  While
Kevin was a passionate activist and a faithful practitioner of nonviolence, he
was also at times incoherent and swore far too much in front of the cameras.
He looked the part of the radical hippie, the kind of man that many
conservatives expect to be “protesting, making trouble, and smoking dope.”
The negative depictions of Kevin Marsh in the media were not necessarily his
fault but, nonetheless, his efforts were actually being used against our
agenda.  For hours on end he struck two dried palm fronds together, even
during interviews with the press.  The sound crews complained they couldn’t
understand what he was saying sometimes because of the noise.  He also fell
into the same trap the organizers did by totally emphasizing the danger of
explosion at launch.  I found myself being almost totally ignored when I tried
to talk to the media about the other arguments against Cassini such as solar
power alternatives and the militarization of space.

Whatever critiques I have of Kevin Marsh, a lack of resolve is not one of
them.  This man was dedicated to the core.  He sat at the gates of Cape
Canaveral Air Force Base for days on end, through intense heat and pouring
rain.  He lived off of whatever food he brought with him and any handouts that
people were kind enough to offer.  He was there to make a statement that
Cassini was not safe and did so with passion and perseverance.   


Sunday, October 13, 1997.  Midnight to 6am
Surreal.  That is the word I would use to describe the six hours before the
aborted October 13th launch.  Kevin and I sat through most of the night and
morning talking about whatever popped up.  We were both going on only a
handful of hours of sleep.  There was a brief discussion about what other
people might be planning to do.  A plane might “violate” the airspace over
Nasa, a boat might come too close to shore, or maybe there would be some
divers that would infiltrate the beaches nearby.  These ideas were fantasies
at best.  No such activities took place.  After a lot of prodding Kevin
finally admitted his plan to stop the launch.  I was pensive.  I had no idea
what he had in mind.  He said he was nonviolent.  Indeed, he even more a
sweatshirt that with the word “Peace Keeper” screen printed on it.  But, I
couldn’t help but think that something crazy was going to go down.  He was
going to try to arrest the Air Force base commander for crimes against
humanity.  I laughed nervously when he announced this.  Understandably, he was
somewhat offended by my response.  I just couldn’t help but think that his
idea was just too crazy.  I agreed that a crime was being committed, but I did
not think the authorities would be appreciative to his actions.
Somewhere between 2 and 3 am all hopes of sleeping vanished.  NASA began its
preliminary checks to the countdown and broadcasted the entire sequence over
loud speakers.  This simply added further to the sense of otherworldness.  The
sound echoed out across the nearby bay and bounced back.  It felt like some
sort of futuristic police state hearing that intercom and seeing all the
police cars and security personnel.


Events took an even stranger turn when a woman stopped by to talk with both
Kevin and I.  She told us how she agreed with our protests and then asked us
all sorts of questions.  After awhile she asked us if we wanted any food.  We
both said, “Yeah, sure.”  She then got in her car and drove onto the Air Force
base!  I turned to Kevin and asked, “Did you see that?  Why did they let her
through security?”

Kevin turned to me and stated simply, “That’s what you call ‘the hospitality’
my friend.”  He grinned and then took another drag on his cigarette.

Later on this woman did indeed come back after passing once again through the
Air Force base gates.  Neither Kevin or I asked her why she had access to the
base, we just thanked her for the food and she left.  To this day I cannot
understand what this woman was doing.  Her questions were basic and our
answers were those we would have given anyone who asked.  And the food was
fine.  However, anyone who worked on that base had to know they were putting
their careers at risk by aligning themselves with us.  She had to know that
the security guards were watching her speak with us.

By 4 am it was once again clear that the Air Force Base was the wrong place to
protest.  While we had a perfect view of the launch, it was in fact over at
NASA, not at the base as the original organizers had thought.  Furthermore,
security announced that none of the media would be allowed down the half mile
road leading to the base gates.  Several reporters told us how this had never
happened before, that they had always been allowed down that road to witness
previous launches.  The restriction was obviously an attempt to limit our
access to the media.  While Kevin and I sat outside the Air Force gates the
media was resigned to sitting down the road interviewing people hoping to
watch Cassini launch.

When I walked down the road to see if I could get interviewed by the press I
discovered, once again, how they had totally committed themselves to the “sole
protester” story.  A few hours earlier several camera crews had said to Kevin
and I, “If you want press coverage you’re going to have to come down the road
to us.  We can’t come to you.”  While Kevin decided to keep his post at the
Air Force gates, I headed down the road through the early morning darkness.
When I reached the TV crews not once wanted to interview me.  All they wanted
to know was if Kevin was coming to speak with them.  I said, “No.”  When they
heard that, they asked questions about what he planned to do.  I felt like the
Rodney Dangerfield of activism.  I told them that they should try to come down
to the gates right before the launch, that Kevin was planning on doing
something that they might want to film.

I walked backed to Air Force gates in the darkness feeling utterly defeated.
The protest was out of my hands.  I could not make the media cover a story
they did not want to tell.  They wanted their “lone protester” and would have
nothing to do with depicting true reality.



Shortly before the launch Kevin made his move.  A TV crew was finally allowed
down the road to interview us.  Or rather, they came to interview Kevin.  The
reporter asked him, “Do you think you can make a difference?”   In response to
this question Kevin got up out of his lawn chair and approached the Air Force
gates.

This was, once again, a Howard Zinn moment.  Here was one man making a
statement against authority.  He was unarmed and certainly exhausted from lack
of sleep.  He was surrounded by perhaps eight law enforcement officers.  Their
reaction was as if they were being confronted with three or four men ready to
fight instead of a guy with his hands folded behind his back in a respectful
and submissive military parade rest posture.  They told Kevin over and over,
“Step back over the white line, Sir!  You are trespassing on U.S. government
property!”  And yet, Kevin stood his ground.

He stated matter-of-factly, “I wish to speak to the base commander about his
crimes against humanity.”

After a few tense moments one of the guards said, “We will contact the base
commander if you back up behind the white line.”  At this Kevin respectfully
and quietly retreated.  He was a picture of self control.  He turned and
backed up until he was about a foot behind the white line, off to the side of
the road so that he wasn’t blocking traffic.  For several minutes the law
enforcement officers stood on the other side of the line staring at him.  Once
again, they were reacting as if Kevin was the highest threat to their power.

Finally, another guard came over and told Kevin the Commander had been
contacted.  Kevin turned around and returned to his lawn chair.
Inappropriately I blurted, “You’re crazy if you think the commander is going
to come here and speak to you.”



At that point he had had enough.  He responded, “You know, I’m getting real
tired of your negativity.  Just stay away from me.”

Hearing the anger in his voice, I quickly backed off.  Kevin was free to do as
he pleased and I shouldn’t have stated my opinion.  However, even today, I
don’t think he realized how little respect he was getting from the media at
that moment.  They weren’t there to support his cause nor were they there to
be objective about the launch.  They were covering a story about a “hippie
from California who’s trying to make trouble.”   What I thought didn’t matter.
What counted was how he was being viewed by all those thousands of people
watching on TV.  Was he helping or hurting the cause?  While I think Kevin’s
beliefs were sincere, his actions did not help.

Less than a half hour later, with only minutes before the planned liftoff, the
Cassini launch was scrubbed.  “Come back in forty eight hours,” we were told.

I could not stay any longer.  Kevin and I hugged and we both apologized.  I
turned and walked back through the early morning darkness to my rental car.
This protest was over for me.   As far as I know, he never did get to speak to
the base commander.



It might seem hypocritical, but I was disappointed.  I knew that Cassini would
launch.  My goal for being there was simply to raise awareness and that was
it.  But then again, who am I to question the mighty goals of others?  I
suppose it doesn’t matter except for the fact that all the sides of this
protest should have been presented to the public and the media.  They weren’t.
On one side we had NASA insisting absolute safety.  (Remember Challenger?)  On
the other side were the hardcore activists claiming certain disaster.  There
were other voices of dissent to be heard and the media ignored them.  I place
part of that blame on the shoulders of those activists who were most vocal and
did not clearly state all the reasons for being against the launch of Cassini.
With that said, I can honestly say we all learned a lot.  Maybe next time we
just might pull it off and stop one of these nuclear space probes.

Post Script
Cassini was launched on October 15, a Wednesday. Kevin Marsh was there. According to the media, he was all by himself.
Cassini will be briefly returning to us sometime in 1999 carrying the same 72 pounds of plutonium it left with.




Click here to see the essay and a link to the original material at archive.org.