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The Berkeley Marine Corps Recruiting Center protests began in September 2007 when a small group of protesters from Code Pink began periodically protesting in front of a United States Marine Corps Officer Selection Office located in Downtown Berkeley, California at 64 Shattuck Avenue by standing in front of the office holding banners and placing signs.〔 The recruiting center had been located in Berkeley since January 2007. The protesting has continued to the present. On October 17, 2007, the group Move America Forward held a counter protest. On January 29, 2008, the Berkeley City Council passed a series of motions concerning the recruiting center. The most controversial motions ordered the city clerk to draft a letter calling the Berkeley Marines "unwelcome intruders" and another motion gave Code Pink a parking permit on Wednesdays and a noise permit. The motions drew national media coverage. Some veterans groups and conservatives were angered by the motions. National and state laws were drafted to remove funding for Berkeley. The Berkeley City Council changed the wording in the letter February 13, 2008 to remove the most controversial wording and communicate support for the troops but opposition to the war. On the previous day, 2000 protesters at its peak gathered outside city hall to protest against and in support of the motion. The national media coverage of the matter significantly declined following Berkeley's amended language. Legislation backed by Republican members of Congress concerning removing earmarks continued through the legislative process, though with little chance of passing, and Move America Forward launched a new advertisement criticizing the Berkeley City Council. Code Pink continues to collect signatures to put a measure on the ballot to remove the recruiting center. ==History== Berkeley had a previous history of opposition to Marine recruiting. In 2007, Berkeley High School became the last in the United States to give student contact information to the military without student permission. The school's previous policy required students to give permission for their contact information to be given to the military.〔 In January 2007, the Marine Recruiting Center for the northern Bay Area relocated from Alameda to downtown Berkeley in order to be closer to the University of California, Berkeley. There were no protests until late September 2007 when protests outside the recruiting office began. Code Pink and Grandmothers Against the War were among the first groups to protest. Code Pink said it would protest the recruiting center every Wednesday.〔 On Wednesday, October 17, 2007, a protest between those opposing the recruitment center and those who supported it, led by conservative radio talk-show host Melanie Morgan, co-founder of Move America Forward, occurred outside the recruiting center. The protest included chants, singing, flag waving, and verbal shouting back and forth. Police separated the two groups for safety. Some nearby businesses have complained about the noise level. Some motorists have honked in approval adding to the noise level. On January 29, 2008, Code Pink began collecting the 5,000 signatures necessary to qualify a city measure for the ballot that would require public hearings before military recruiting offices could open near schools.〔 Former Marine Staff Sgt. Bill Hamilton, who was involved in several altercations with protestors, told the SF Chronicle that the recruiting office was only for recruiting college not high school students.〔 On February 1, 2008, protesters from The World Can't Wait, chained themselves to the doorway of the recruiting office, blocking the entrance, and preventing people from moving in and out.〔 〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Berkeley Marine Corps Recruiting Center protests」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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