On Willem van Spronsen Passing from Occupy Northwest Detention Center Participants

Reflections on the life and passing of anarchist Willem an Spronsen from some anonymous participants in Occupy North West Detention Center.

Willem van Spronsen took radical direct action sabotaging the Northwest Detention Center’s infrastructure. He targeted the buses that transport modern day slave labor to and from the Yakima airport and the, unmanned at 4am, out buildings. What he did speaks volumes of his inborn devotion to abolishing ICE, to bringing awareness to the masses that one of the largest privatized prison which is detaining humans is in Tacoma, WA.

Both the buses and the buildings Will targeted are separated by a city road, sidewalk, tree line, railroad, two rows of fences and large parking lot from the main NWDC building. This was an act of monkey-wrenching. No human life was endangered by Will’s actions. Willem van Spronsen was MURDERED by four police officers over property damage.

They left grains of sand to soak up our martyr’s blood which was shed as a direct result of police brutality. Meanwhile, we routinely see the police take in mass shooters alive. Would less than lethal action not have been effective enough to stop our beloved activist from taking the direct action that the fascist pigs perceived as a threat? The four officers that all shot our dear friend are somehow now rewarded with paid time off. Cops get paid vacation to straight up murder.

Cops hired to “Protect and Serve” is a FALSE ADVERTISEMENT. Willem van Spronsen, however, took great measures to protect all humans currently detained at the NWDC. And to protect humans from the potential threat of becoming incarcerated! As when he attempted to un-arrest a 17 year-old who was nonviolently protesting in front of the North West Detention Center last summer.

Two day’s after Willem van Spronsen’s protest large scale ICE raids spanning Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York and San Francisco and targeting 3,000 families where abruptly called off. Acting ICE Director, Matt Albence, strongly implied Will’s actions played a decisive role in the decision to cancel the raids in a Washington Post interview. His commitment to live a life supporting justice is so commendable. If we all took just a few steps toward our individual intentions, what a changed world we would have.

-Anonymous participants of Occupy Northwest Detention Center