Blackwater packs it up in Potrero

Well, in a letter (pdf) from Brian Bonfiglio, a Blackwater vice president, to the City of San Diego, the company stated that after additional analysis they were withdrawing their request for permits to build and operate a massive training facility there, that would have given them a huge presence on the west coast and along the southern border with Mexico. According to the Union Tribune, "the decision came down to noise – gunfire tests at the 824-acre site in Potrero exceeded county standards – and not fiery opposition from residents, environmentalists and those politically opposed to Blackwater's role as a contractor guarding officials in Iraq."



[Images of landscape via Chris Curry for The Virginian-Pilot.]

You may recall from our earlier coverage the loud community uproar Blackwater created with their plan to expand their base of operations to the sleepy hill town of Potrero. For a small population the volume of opposition was pretty impressive. And while this news is not exactly a direct community victory, it is surely just as satisfying for them I am sure. More background here, with some additional stories found at the bottom of this news link here as well.