On October 20, 2007, North Carolina peace activists gathered at the gates of Blackwater USA in Moyock, North Carolina, to protest killings of 17 people at Nisour Square on September 16, 2007. According to the Washington Post, the U.S. Army has concluded that the shootings were a “criminal event.” Army officers spoke to the newspaper on the record, one measure of how strongly they felt about what happened:
“It appeared to me they were fleeing the scene when they were engaged. It had every indication of an excessive shooting,” said Lt. Col. Mike Tarsa, whose soldiers reached Nisoor Square 20 to 25 minutes after the gunfire subsided.
His soldiers’ report — based upon their observations at the scene, eyewitness interviews and discussions with Iraqi police — concluded that there was “no enemy activity involved” and described the shootings as a “criminal event.” Their conclusions mirrored those reached by the Iraqi government, which has said the Blackwater guards killed 17 people.
“It was absolutely tragic,” said Maj. Gen. Joseph Fil, commander of the 1st Cavalry Division and the Army’s top commander for Baghdad. “In the aftermath of these, everybody looks and says, ‘It’s the Americans.’ And that’s us. It’s horrible timing. It’s yet another challenge, another setback,” he said.
These Catholic Worker protesters staged a re-enactment of the scene to bring a human face to the thousands of civilian victims in Iraq. You’ll see them arrested for trespassing — they will be facing charges in Cabarrus County.For great coverage on Blackwater, read the Blackwater Current blog kept by News and Observer reporter Joe Neff.
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