CodePink April Fools' hoax backfires
Apr. 2, 2008
Kristin Bender - The Oakland TribuneIssue date: 3/27/08 Section: MCT News
Reached by telephone Tuesday, Shamszad said, "Someone is in la la land here. There's a lease involved here. We live in a society where contracts are a big deal. These people are my tenants and I'm a professional. Once they have a lease, unless they break the rules, you can't get them out."
The center's lease runs through December 2009, subject to termination if the government cannot provide funding, Franklin said.
CodePink also invented quotes from a civilian Marine Corps employee named Michael Applegate, the director of the Marine Manpower Plans and Policy Division. The release quoted Applegate as saying the downtown Berkeley office is not a good use of taxpayer money. Applegate was not available for comment Tuesday, but Franklin said officials aren't angry about the hoax.
"It's a protest group that has very strong feelings, just as all protest groups do, and this is just one thing that they've done," Franklin said.
Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates said the publicity stunt had people calling his office and others in the city. Although Bates initially supported giving CodePink a permit fee waiver and a free parking space at the Marine center for their weekly protests, he criticized their prank.
"I think they have hurt their credibility with this farce," he said.
But Benjamin disagreed.
"We do believe in putting out some positive ideas of what we want to see and what better way to do it than April Fools' Day," she said.
Benjamin said she hopes the hoax will move people to action.
"We've got a topsy turvy world and if more people got out and joined us this wouldn't be an April Fools' joke. (It) would be reality," she said. "The Marines would be gone from Berkeley, the war would be over, there would be impeachment of Bush and Cheney and we'd be upholding our constitution."
What's more, Benjamin said, "We do these types of things every April 1."
And on other days as well.
In October, CodePink distributed a phony news release saying Blackwater USA, a private military contractor, was creating a new "Department of Corporate Integrity" that would put the mercy back in mercenary, according to published reports.
The center's lease runs through December 2009, subject to termination if the government cannot provide funding, Franklin said.
CodePink also invented quotes from a civilian Marine Corps employee named Michael Applegate, the director of the Marine Manpower Plans and Policy Division. The release quoted Applegate as saying the downtown Berkeley office is not a good use of taxpayer money. Applegate was not available for comment Tuesday, but Franklin said officials aren't angry about the hoax.
"It's a protest group that has very strong feelings, just as all protest groups do, and this is just one thing that they've done," Franklin said.
Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates said the publicity stunt had people calling his office and others in the city. Although Bates initially supported giving CodePink a permit fee waiver and a free parking space at the Marine center for their weekly protests, he criticized their prank.
"I think they have hurt their credibility with this farce," he said.
But Benjamin disagreed.
"We do believe in putting out some positive ideas of what we want to see and what better way to do it than April Fools' Day," she said.
Benjamin said she hopes the hoax will move people to action.
"We've got a topsy turvy world and if more people got out and joined us this wouldn't be an April Fools' joke. (It) would be reality," she said. "The Marines would be gone from Berkeley, the war would be over, there would be impeachment of Bush and Cheney and we'd be upholding our constitution."
What's more, Benjamin said, "We do these types of things every April 1."
And on other days as well.
In October, CodePink distributed a phony news release saying Blackwater USA, a private military contractor, was creating a new "Department of Corporate Integrity" that would put the mercy back in mercenary, according to published reports.
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