Barack the Killer

A group of 40 to 50 protestors converged on the headquarters of General Atomics early Wednesday morning, carrying signs, waving model Predator attack drones emblazoned with slogans such as "General Atomics Makes a Killing,” and affixing banners to a temporary fence erected across the driveway to the facility.

On the other side of the fence stood about ten security guards who were joined by at least three uniformed police officers, two cruisers, and one unmarked police car that remained parked in a fire lane for the duration of the event.

The protest was fairly civil in nature. Attendees listened to people share stories of errant attack-drone strikes killing civilians. Speakers railed against corporate war profiteering and President Obama for failing to take steps to curtail U.S. involvement in Afghanistan. There were also several chants, led by crowd members brandishing bullhorns. Among them: “Drones, drones, flying high, dropping death from the sky!” and “B-A-R, A-C-K, how many kids did you kill today?”

The group later staged a "die-in," with members lying on the ground to symbolize innocent lives lost to drone attacks. The demonstration was a collaborative effort of CODEPINK ("Women for Peace") and the San Diego Peace Resource Center.