[Imc-newsroom] Re: [Peace] Freedom of movement curtailed by U.S. armed forces.

Sat Nov 3 19:24:05 CST 2001

There may be more, or less, to this story than meets the eye, Sascha.
There's been some discussion today on the Illinois Greens e-list about
just what might have happened in Bangor. Apparently plenty of other
Greens activists have been flying lately without incident, and there's
some doubt about whether Nancy Oden was on any "watch list" or just
responded inappropriately when singled out for additional checking,
either at random or for some other reason.

 A Bangor Daily News story on
the issue indicates that attitude, rather than activism, may have been
responsible. (FWIW, that fits with what people who've worked with her in
the past are saying, but I'll acknowledge here that there's some friction
among various Greens leaders that may account for some of the
speculation.) The official line appears to be that she was flagged for
additional screening because she bought her ticket online, and then became
"uncooperative."

Either way, it probably doesn't help that Maine is
supposedly where some of the terrorists on 9/11 started their day
before getting on the WTC flights in Boston. Security in Portland and
Bangor might be especially severe.

Here's the link to the Bangor News story:
http://www.bangornews.com/editorialnews/article.html?ID=44958

Jim

On Sat, 3 Nov 2001, Sascha Meinrath wrote:

> 
> The author talked with Green Party Organizer Nancy Oden about her recent
> experience of being detained by military personnel, refused service by
> American Airlines, and finally banned from flying on any airline at Bangor
> International Airport. Airport staff have refused to comment on the
> situation.
> 
> http://www.ucimc.org
> 
> November 3, 2001
> 
> Freedom of movement curtailed by U.S. armed forces.
> 
> by Sascha D. Meinrath
> 
> Urbana, Nov. 3 (UCIMC): On Thursday, November 1, 2001, Green Party USA
> coordinating committee member Nancy Oden was searched and detained by
> National Guardsmen and airport security after being flagged by airport
> computers. She was then prohibited from flying on any airplane, on any
> airline from Bangor International Airport. She stated she had no idea what
> list she was on or, initially, why she was searched. Airport security
> refused comment; however, Ms. Oden stated that she allowed a thorough
> searching of her bags.
> 
> Bangor Airport staff members Rebecca Hupp, Interim Airport Director, and
> Peter DErrico, Special Assistant to the Airport Director, were unavailable
> for comment as of press time. A phone message left with the Bangor Airport
> was not returned, and the airport staff member who answered the airports
> immediate assistance line refused comment stating all the people who make
> press releases are not at the airport.
> 
> Ms. Oden was scheduled to fly to Chicago, IL to interview candidates for a
> new Green Party office. She arrived at the airport dressed conservatively,
> wearing a long dark skirt, matching jacket, and turtleneck sweater. She
> wore no political paraphernalia, and, as a middle-aged White woman, does
> not fit any known high-risk profiles. An organic farmer, she drove 100
> miles to get to the airport and arrived at roughly 11a.m. She described
> the airport as under military rule with few people and lots of national
> guardsmen carrying machineguns. She said no one was laughing and no one
> was smiling.
> 
> She went to the American Airlines counter and checked in. The counter
> agent asked for her name, but never requested a photo ID. She stated that
> the agent was on the computer for a long time and eventually did give her
> a boarding pass with a large S on it. As she turned to leave she asked the
> agent if this was a random check, the counter agent responded that she had
> been flagged. The counter agent also informed her that the S is for
> search.
> 
> Her trouble started in earnest when she passed through the boarding area
> security area and was met by a man Ms. Oden describes as a short national
> guardsman with a black eye [and] carrying a machinegun who told her to put
> those bags over there. Ms. Oden stated that two women went through her
> bags and that she was searched using a handheld metal detector. When one
> of the zippers got stuck on her bag she reached over to aid the security
> personnel at which point the national guardsman yelled, get your hand out
> of there! She turned to face the national guardsman at which point he
> forcefully grabbed her arm, pulled her away, and started speaking loudly
> to her about his pro-war views. According to Ms. Oden, the national
> guardsman stated, Dont you know why we have to go to warwe need to kill
> them before they kill us. Ms. Oden was deeply disturbed that he knew both
> who she was and what her political beliefs were and that her treatment by
> the guardsman was connected to her personal beliefs.
> 
> She responded to the national guardsmans physical restraint by stating
> dont touch me and took a step away from him. He reached for her again and
> again she told him not to touch her. Ms. Oden stated that the national
> guardsman then looked at the security supervisor who nodded to him to back
> off. According to Ms. Oden, the national guardsman then spoke into a
> microphone saying, dont let her on the plane. She was then waved through
> to the boarding gate.
> 
> At her gate, an American Airlines boarding counter agent informed Ms. Oden
> that he had been instructed not to let her on the plane, you didn't
> cooperate [with the search] so I can't let you on the plane. The agent
> then stated that she might be able to get booked on the 4 p.m. flight.
> However, Ms. Oden was then surrounded by multiple gun-wielding national
> guardsmen and told that because she didnt cooperate with the search she
> would not be allowed to fly at 4 p.m. or on any flight on any airline. Ms.
> Oden stated that because she refused to be physically restrained while the
> national guardsman stated his pro-war perspective she was refused service
> on every airline flying from Bangor International Airport. Furthermore,
> American Airlines has thus far refused to refund her airline ticket.
> 
> She stated that this raises major questions about the repercussions for
> people who stand up for their civil rights and the arbitrary nature of the
> military control of Americas airports. No charges have been filed against
> Ms. Oden. Asked what she plans to do now, she confirmed that she has
> contacted a civil rights lawyer and is looking into her options.
> 
> Ms. Oden stated that she was probably flagged at the airport because of
> her long-term political activism. In the 1960s and 1970s she was involved
> in the anti-Vietnam War movement and the womens movement. She has also
> been an active union member. She is currently a Green Party USA organizer,
> an organic farmer on a small 7-acre plot, and a self-described
> environmentalist. She stated that she was targeted because she is fighting
> for real democracy where we the people make the decisions that affect our
> lives and that this stance has gotten her labeled as radical and a threat.
> 
> Ms. Oden has worried about the media coverage of the U.S. military actions
> in Afghanistan and fears that because of the demands placed on editorial
> staff by corporate owners, the truth is not coming out in the corporate
> media. She stated her major concern about her airport experience, you can
> go along doing nothing wrong and all of a sudden you're treated like a
> terrorist.
> 
> www.ucimc.org
> 
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> 

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