Indianapolis: Hoosiers Protest Raytheon Role in Drone Killings

On Friday, September 14, 2012, peace and justice activists in Indiana were at the Raytheon facility in Indianapolis to protest the company's role in drone killings.

As one protester, Carl, said, we need to keep urging people to resist -- "as long as the American people don't stand up and say "NO!" to this military machine we've created, the military-industrial complex that President Eisenhower warned us about, which is even worse now." Until then, he continued, it will be U.S. taxpayers "that are killing the people of Libya, and Syria, and Yemen, and Pakistan, and in Afghanistan, and in the Philippines. and in Somalia. All over the world, our drones our killing people in countries we haven't even declared war with."

Another protester, Tim, explained, "We believe that as these drones are being used, we are creating endless enemies around the world." Of great importance, he added, is that the unmanned drones allow the U.S. government to operate clandestinely in other countries, conducting hostilities in secret. "The American people aren't aware of what's going on in their name, as civilians are being killed," he explained. For details on victims of U.S. drone killings, he recommended people look at the reports compiled by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism in London.

Long-time activist JoAnne Lingle explained, "The purpose of this project is to educate people.We want the citizens of the United States to understand the long view of these drones. I am going to be part of a delegation going to Pakistan, where we're killing the most people -- the most civilians -- and we're going on a peace march in Islamabad, and we're also going to be interviewing families of drone victims, and we're going to be bringing their stories back to the U.S.A., and I hope to be able to speak to groups of people and bring the stories of the families who have lost loved ones by these drones." Lingle said that, after her trip to Pakistan, she will also be traveling to Kurdistan in Northern Iraq with Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT). She's been involved with CPT since 1997.

View the full video of interviews with particiants in the Raytheon protest.

The Raytheon protest was part of the ongoing efforts of people in Indianapolis and across Indiana to stop the drones.

RELATED STORY: Read about the protest by members of CodePINK, Occupy Tampa, and others at the Raytheon facility in Largo, FL, on August 23, 2012 -- Why We Need to STOP the Raytheon Drones Killing Machine .

The Raytheon protest was part of the ongoing efforts of people
in Indianapolis and across Indiana to stop the drones.