A Citizens' Foreclosure At Northwest Illinois Blackwater Site
Over 20 individuals face possible arrest as part of a demonstration of over 50 at the gates of Blackwater (now named Xe) midwest site in Jo Daviess County in the northwest corner of Illinois. The citizens will be going onto Blackwater's property to serve a notice of foreclosure on the property of a company that is morally bankrupt.
The demonstration is the final action of the weekend Midwest Regional Catholic Worker Retreat and Clearwater Conference. Clearwater is a citizen's group formed to stop Blackwater, one of hundreds of private military companies making billions of tax dollars for actions that were once only the purview of the US military. And even though they are making billions of tax dollars Blackwater, who recently changed their name to Xe to hopefully escape public attention, is also being investigated for tax evasion, they are being investigated by the AFT for illegal possession of firearms at their North Carolina site, they are under investigation for illegal smuggling of weapons into Iraq, and are fighting in the courts nine wrongful death lawsuits. Five of their contractors are also facing voluntary manslaughter charges for the shooting in September of 2007 that led to the death of 17 unarmed, innocent Iraqi citizens.
When so many citizens are facing joblessness, homelessness, and inadequate wages, and when many hard working citizens are trying desperately to escape the foreclosure of their homes, the citizens participating in the protest tomorrow believe it is wrong for these private military companies like Blackwater to be making millions of dollars in profits with taxpayer money. They believe that the privatization of the military that is taking place at an alarming rate presents a threat to our democracy. A private shadow army operating outside of national and international law with public oversight should not be allowed to continue. And to have these same companies involved with the training of our police officers is also a danger to American civil liberties.
If we continue to outsource our security to private companies soon security will not be a right for all, but a privilege for those who can afford the price.
STATEMENT OF FORECLOSURE
DELIVERED TO BLACKWATER (Xe) FOR
MORAL BANKRUPTCY
April 27, 2009
As Catholic Workers and other concerned citizens of the United States we come today to this northwest Illinois Blackwater training site in an act of nonviolent protest. We are here to make a citizens’ foreclosure on this property of a company that is morally bankrupt. We are here to reclaim it for the people of this nation who promote democracy and security by humanitarian efforts.
We stand here today as citizens who live in solidarity with and in service to fellow citizens who struggle with joblessness, homelessness, and inadequate wages. We are here to stop the flow of billions of tax dollars to the privatization of our military and the miniaturization of our police by companies like Blackwater; a company that is responsible for:
Killing innocent Iraqi civilians
Smuggling weapons illegally into Iraq
Tax evasion
Illegal possession of firearms
We are here to hold them accountable for all their illegal and immoral actions.
No matter how many times this company changes its name, it can run but
it cannot hide from its bloody history or its lawlessness.
History has a long-range perspective. It ultimately passes stern judgment on tyrants and vindicates those who fought, suffered, were imprisoned, and died for human freedom, against political oppression and economic slavery.
~ Elizabeth Gurley Flynn
