Still nuclear-free after all these years

by Brian Roan

December 10, 2008--Tonight, Takoma Park celebrates the 25-year anniversary of the city becoming a Nuclear Free Zone on December 12, 1983.

The event, which will include speakers, movies, and refreshments, among other things, is in celebration of the city council passing the 1983 Nuclear Free Zone Ordinance, which was written by Nuclear Freeze activist Jay Levy. Levy is currently acting as a committee chair in Takoma Park.

The ordinance sets up a number of guidelines for Takoma Park, which, during the final days of the Cold War, wanted to make sure it had no part in the deterrence plan of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD). Put into its simplest terms, MAD meant neither side would attack one another for fear of being wiped out in retaliation.

Takoma Park rebelled against this idea and instead opted to follow close to 30 other jurisdictions in adopting a policy that would make sure that the city had no part in nuclear proliferation.

A few of the edicts set forth in the ordinance set rules against allowing the production of nuclear weapons in city limits, buying from or investing in companies that help produce nuclear weapons, and publishing a list of weapons producers.

Even though the cold war has ended, the proliferation of weapons is still seen by some as a threat. Fuel and waste from nuclear reactors can be used in weapons, and North Korea and Pakistan shocked the world with their displays of nuclear capability.

As such, Takoma Park celebrates their continued commitment to staving off proliferation with speakers, movies, and refreshments outside of city hall at 7:30 p.m.