SHUT THE PORTS DOWN! 
THE LONGSHORE RALLYING CRY!

Longshore worker Bill Proctor, of Seattle, was a participant in the June 9th demonstration in support of the Charleston 5, in South Carolina. Proctor sent the following commentary to portside in response to yesterday's portside posting:

Tony Bartelme of the Post and Courier staff in his article of June 10, 2001, dateline Charleston, South Carolina, must have misheard the "troops" as we chanted: "SHUT THE PORTS DOWN" on the steps of the South Carolina state capital.

This rallying cry, raised by West Coast longshoremen of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, and taken up by the entire throng, went up, just as John Bowers, President of the International Longshoremen's Association concluded his remarks, stating he would go to court with the Charleston 5 if necessary.

West coast longshore workers of the I.L.W.U. have taken this cause to heart and clearly expressed this by their presence at the march and rally, and with their rallying cry to shut down ports around the nation.

The march was led by a Teamster color guard, and the Local 10, ILWU Drill Team out of San Francisco, Ca. Sorry to say, the local 10 drill team was not allowed to carry their chrome plated cargo hooks, which gives the team an added bit of flair, their hooks flashing in syncopated rhythm.

The local police termed them "meat hooks" when in fact they were cotton hooks, a real irony for me, given we were in the state of South Carolina! This was the first time in their 35 + years that the drill time has not been allowed to use the tools of their trade, though somewhat outdated, to embellish their rousing
routines

As a former member of local 10, and now a member of local 19 Seattle, I must say I am extremely proud of my unions response to the plight of the Charleston 5!

Bartleme also neglected to mention that no less than 6 law enforcement (?) agencies of the state of South Carolina were on hand and in reserve, and not even one citation was issued, no arrests were made.

I think Charley Condon, the states attorney general, must be terribly disappointed in that fact! I'd like to hear him justify the wages paid in overtime to the police for that day, to his tax payers.

I'm proud to say that I was present for this historic event, and if necessary, I shall return to that state which fired the opening round in our countries Civil War, for as far as we are concerned, Charley Condon has fired another shot, and longshore is ready to meet the challenge.......nationwide, and in Puerto Rico, Canada, Sweden, Denmark, Korea and of course here on the "left coast" of the U.S.

Struggling on, peace through power, as ever
Bill Proctor