We recently processed a folder of materials related to a multi-year struggle in danielle’s hometown of Concord, California. Unbeknownst to many, Concord was a significant site of anti-war protest in 1987 and 1988 due to the location of the Concord Naval Weapons Station (CNWS), also known as Port Chicago, one of the largest munitions depots on the West Coast and during the 1980s, a major supplier of arms to the US-backed government of El Salvador.
El Salvador was one of many countries in the Americas during the 1980s where the United States directly supported, funded and trained military and counter-revolutionary forces aligned against popular movements for socialism, land redistribution and government accountability. The country became the site of the largest US-backed counterinsurgency war since Viet Nam, involving massacres, torture, and death squads. Over the course of a 12-year civil war, the US government spent over $6 billion dollars on direct military assistance and training for the Salvadoran armed forces and police, ultimately leading to the killings of more than 75,000 Salvadorans and the displacement of over 1.5 million people (CISPES).
Meanwhile in Concord, through a series of demonstrations that involved fasting, vigils, and direct actions on the train tracks outside of the CNWS main entrance, protesters denounced and disrupted arms shipments that were demolishing villages, causing critical injuries, and leading to a huge number of Salvadoran deaths. At its peak, over 10,000 people participated in these demonstrations.
The actions at CNWS gained national attention after Brian Willson, a Viet Nam veteran who declared his intent to both fast and occupy the train tracks in order to stop the arms shipments, was hit by a train. Despite that Willson had notified CNWS personnel of his intentions, the train was ordered not to stop. Willson suffered the loss of his legs and a severe skull fracture, yet continues his anti-war activism to this day.
The military conflict in El Salvador ended 30 years ago but still represents an important moment of solidarity between anti-war forces in the Bay Area and national liberation forces in El Salvador. View some of our newly digitized materials related to the Nuremberg Actions Concord Campaign to Stop Arms Shipments to El Salvador below. You can also view our detailed finding aid.
Last week, the Bay Area was one of over 50 different regions across the globe to participate in the internationally coordinated economic blockade, A15, closing a major highway connected to the Port of Oakland as well as one of San Francisco’s iconic and main commuter bridges. We hope folks will find the Concord Campaign to Stop Arms Shipments to El Salvador Collection timely and in conversation with current efforts to stop the genocide and war on Gaza through direct action and sustained organizing.
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Full Text Links:
• Nuremberg Actions Concord Campaign Brochure
• Concord Naval Weapons Station Supplies the Bombing of El Salvador: Stop the Arms Shipments!
• Brian Willson Letter to Commander Cagle (Veterans Fast for Life/Veterans Peace Action Teams)
