People who live here: Stop F-35s from destroying our neighborhood
This Air National Guard base is incompatible for residential use.
It’s time we tell them to leave.
Dear Editor:
In April, our neighborhood learned that we face a bleak future — one that will disproportionately impact those of us who are people of color, low income, and children, and leave our homes “incompatible for residential use.” ~
F-35 joint strike fighters will soon rip through the place we live and love: Eken Park.
We know from personal experience that there is reason to be very afraid. When the current F-16s take off or maneuver overhead, our children cover their ears and scream. The aircraft are dangerously loud. Everyone agrees, even the Air Force, that the F-35s will be worse.
It isn’t our small homes, backyards, swing sets, neighbors or kids that are incompatible for residential use. We do have a corrosive force in our community — but it isn’t us.
The Air National Guard violates nearly every value our progressive community claims to uphold. It is everything we strive to overcome.
It has polluted — perhaps permanently — our lakes and drinking water with PFAS “forever” chemicals. The DNR has found it in violation of spill and environmental remediation laws.
With at least six instances of sexual assault and harassment against female members of the 115th Fighter Wing’s Security Forces Squadron, the Air National Guard is a hive of violence against women. When someone tried to stop it, they were met with retaliation and reprisal. (see bottom of article)
And now, the result of a disgracefully undemocratic process, Madison may be subjected to a squadron of immoral machines, monuments to mass violence and corporate power. At this moment of pandemic and economic collapse, each of us knows the F-35s are a tragic misuse of resources. We need that money for the health of our families, community, and planet. FAQ
Neighbors: let’s stand together to stop this blight.
The F-35s are not inevitable.
~ Community leaders: this is a test of your progressive values. Do everything you can. Creatively and vigorously use our collective power and resources — legal, financial, and otherwise — to protect us. ~
By Tehmina Islam, Omar Poler, Eugenia Maria Highland Granados, Twyla Clark, Amanda Postel, Tessa Echeverria, Diane Morris, Carlos Rivas and others from Madison, Wisconsin
The Air National Guard is incompatible for residential use.
It’s time we tell them to leave.
Sexual assault and cover-ups in Wisconsin military organizations: