EGT at the Port of Longview, Washington, built a $200 million grain elevator on the worksite at which ILWU longshoremen have worked for eighty years.

EGT at the Port of Longview, Washington, built on the site where ILWU longshoremen have worked for eighy years.

An Occupy Longview member told Cowlitz County commissioners Tuesday that members want their rights respected during an upcoming protest at the EGT grain terminal in Longview.

“I ask you to pass the word to the sheriff that we don’t want our First Amendment rights to be violated,” Lenny Fisher of Longview told commissioners. Fisher is a self-described 51-year-old grandfather who will be at the protest. “The last thing I’d like to see is a group of police officers showing up looking like the military.”

Occupy organizers plan to protest when the first ship arrives at the grain terminal sometime this month. Occupy members are supporting the International Longshore and Warehouse Union in their fight to win jobs at EGT’s new grain terminal. The ILWU has called for a protest when the first ship arrives, but union officials say they will not try to block the ship. Some organizers have talked about having thousands of protestors at the still-unscheduled event.

Law enforcement heavy handed tactics against union longshoremen at EGT

Law enforcement have used heavy handed tactics against union longshoremen at EGT. The Occupy speaker asked that Cowlitz County officials not be a private mercenary force for the one percent.

Union members and supporters have complained about police tactics during previous protests that included blocking rail lines and damaging trains. The sheriff’s office and area police departments said they were enforcing the law and wore SWAT and riot gear because they were concerned that a large crowd could get out of control.

“I realize they need to keep the peace,” Fisher told commissioners. “But we hope they are protecting our rights and not being a private mercenary force for the 1 percent.”

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