25 Wincon Protesters Are Arrested : Activists Try to Block Conferees at El Toro

Deputies arrested 23 protesters Tuesday as they tried to block delegates to an annual defense-industry conference from entering the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station, a Sheriff’s Department spokesman said.

Military police arrested two other protesters who had entered the base by a side gate, Marine Lt. Gene C. Brown said.

Those arrested were taken to the Orange County Sheriff’s Intake Release Center in Santa Ana and cited for misdemeanor obstruction of a highway, Sheriff’s Lt. Richard J. Olson said. They were released shortly thereafter.

The blockade marked the beginning of a 3-day Winter Convention of Aerospace and Electronic Systems, known as Wincon. Delegates to the highly classified conference, attended by government officials and industry representatives, were expected to discuss the future of the U.S. defense industry.

Candlelight Vigil

The protest followed a Monday-night candlelight vigil of about 500 peace activists, held near the Westin South Coast Plaza hotel, where many of the delegates were reportedly staying.

The first 2 days of meetings are closed to the public, but on Thursday the group will conduct an open session at the hotel.

Protesters want delegates to make “technology for people and not war,” said Marion E. Pack, executive director of the Alliance for Survival. Pack, working with the Catholic Workers group, helped organized the blockade.

Pack had been arrested eight times in 8 years for similar protests, she said. But on Tuesday, she said she avoided confronting authorities so she could remain free to coordinate the protest.

Conceding that many Orange County companies depend on defense contracts, Pack said those firms should do more to direct their work toward developing clean energy, fighting environmental pollution and helping the homeless.

“We are encouraging a planned effort, so that there will be a smooth transition of technology from the military to the civilian sector,” she said. “This way, we can begin to apply technology towards solving our local, national and global problems, rather than using resources to build better bombs.”

In October, Pack said she suggested to Wincon organizers that protests could be avoided if her group were allowed to address the conference. But she said that her request was denied.

Wincon spokesman Ted Izen said that Pack’s request was denied because it dealt with “inappropriate” political issues.

At 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, about a dozen protesters gathered at the main entrance to the Marine base on Trabuco Road. They waved placards bearing such slogans as “Convert Wincon,” “Freeze Nuclear Testing” and “No More Weapons” at soldiers and civilian employees entering the base.

Within an hour, the group grew to about 50 people, as more protesters arrived carrying signs and banners.

Richard D. Rose, 35, of Long Beach carried a sign as he stood with his seeing-eye dog.

“It’s a matter of conscience,” he said. “I have to demonstrate my beliefs, even if this is a symbolic gesture.”

One by one, protesters began stepping in front of slow-moving cars. Rose and others were peacefully arrested by some of the two dozen sheriff’s deputies present, as about 30 military police officers watched nearby.

Protesters, Officers Met

A veteran of 5 years of Wincon demonstrations, Lt. Olson said protesters met with representatives of the Sheriff’s Department during the past few weeks and had a “mutual exchange of information” about how the protest would be conducted. He noted that past demonstrations were peaceful.

Those arrested had received 3 hours of compulsory training in nonviolent civil disobedience, Pack said. There were no incidents.

Traffic into the base slowed for about an hour as the protesters were arrested.

Many of the bused conference delegates avoided the protesters by entering the base through another gate, Olson said later.

Most drivers stopped their cars when protesters stepped in front of them.

But at least two cars sped through the gate, forcing some protesters to quickly step aside to avoid being hit. A deputy yelled for one car to stop, but it sped on.

Wincon has drawn protests since the group first met in Orange County in 1983.