FRIDAY February 15
Military Recruitment Keeps the Illegitimate War Going
News Coverage:
Berkeley CA:
NBC11: Marine Recruiting Office
United Press International: Military Center is Closed during Protest
The Argus:
Dennis Loo: February 17, 2008 Some Preliminary Thoughts on Berkeley
First report from Berkeley, Friday February 15
by a WCW Youth and Student Organizer
This past Friday was another beautiful day in Berkeley. Ever since the Berkeley City Council set off a national debate by taking its stand against the war and recruiters’ presence in Berkeley, people here have taken up the responsibility of saying: “NO!” to this illegitimate war, and have kept this demand on the streets and in the headlines.
Friday just after sunrise, leaders from very diverse antiwar groups arrived at the recruiting station – World Can’t Wait, Code Pink, A.N.S.W.E.R., Vets for Peace, Pace e Bene, Ecumenical Peace Institute, and a respected educator/activist. They had announced a press conference after which they would stand together, acting in non-violent civil resistance to shut down the recruiting center. However, the recruiters never showed up! The speakers went ahead with the news conference, surrounded by friends and supporters. Several youth in Guantanamo-type jumpsuits and hoods stood at the station door in silent witness. Many news reporters were there when we declared victory for the day and pledged our determination to continue resistance actions at the recruiting station until it shuts down and this movement spreads throughout the country.
As the day progressed, our numbers (50-100) were bolstered by Berkeley High students, who came out on their day off. Since we had a sound permit, we played “Fight the Power” by Public Enemy on the loudspeakers and anti-war tracks from The Coup and Rage Against the Machine, as well as a great remix of “War,” by Edwin Starr. At noon, we had a youth “speak out,” which went so well, that we spontaneously decided to take a “Wake The Folk Up!” march to the nearby – and still too politically passive – UC Berkeley campus. Youth activists with WCW, A.N.S.W.E.R., and the Bay Area Revolution Club led a contingent of about 40 (mostly BHS students) up to campus and to the famous steps of Sproul Plaza, where in 1964, Mario Savio delivered his legendary address about “putting your body on the gears of the machine” [historic footage] We called on the UCB students to join us, chanting: “UC Berkeley take a stand, stop the war, we demand!” And when we were not getting enough people to join us, one high schooler suggested this: “iPods down, cell phones down, UC Berkeley stand up!”
About 10 students joined us on the spot, as many others looked on in amazement, and a big group of mostly African American youth from West Oakland also joined us briefly. At one point, a pair of military recruiters walked by, and we started chanting: “Murder, rape, torture, war – that’s what they’re recruiting for!” When they walked by again, we asked them if they could teach us how to waterboard the youth that were wearing the orange jumpsuits and black hoods of the Guantanamo detainees.
Much later in the afternoon, when everyone was back at the recruiting station, the police used the pretext of a few picket signs scotch-taped to the window of the station to declare what they called a “civil alert.” A column of about 40 riot police marched right into our peaceful protest on the sidewalk, shoving teenagers, knocking an 86 year-old man to the ground (he bled, then got right back up and waved his World Can’t Wait sign even harder) and wrecking much of our very expensive sound equipment. Watch this KRON 4 footage here:
Yet we would not be intimidated so easily! As soon as the riot police withdrew, we immediately regrouped in front of the recruiting station – more energized than before. And with the police gone and the street re-opened, the supportive horn honking and waving – and some “fight the power” fists — from passing commuters, buses, and truck drivers was even louder and more insistent than we’d heard all day.
To the powers-that-be, we have “crossed the line” and are not staying within the bounds of Obama/Clinton/McCain politics-as-usual. In other words, we are having an effect and the authorities worry that this spark could ignite a new, powerful and uncompromising resistance movement. They did NOT like the stand taken by the Berkeley City Council to begin with, or the huge and broad numbers of people who have supported and defended them. And they especially do not want the youth to be taking any initiative. However, from our point of view, all of this is exactly what is so inspiring and beautiful about what has happened in Berkeley this past week. Will this resistance spread to other cities and fan out across the country? That’s what needs to happen now.
New York City:
WBAI Evening News: February 15, 2008
New York Times: The Army Recruiter Isn’t In
New Left Notes: Iraq Moratorium 5: Counter-Recruitment Action February 15, 2008
IndymediaNYC: Iraq Moratorium Event Targets Military Recruitment in El Barrio
VIDEO: New Left Notes: East Harlem NY – Iraq Moratorium #6
At 1:00 P.M., organizers held a press conference on the steps of City Hall. Debra Sweet, national director of World Can’t Wait, Elaine Brower, a national steering committee member of World Can’t Wait whose son is stationed in Iraq, and representatives of CodePink and the Granny Peace Brigades spoke to reporters from CNN and local NYC radio stations about the day’s protest in East Harlem and delivered a strong message in support of the protests in Berkeley over the past week. Lots of press were there including: El Diario, NY1, CNN, IndyMedia and WBAI.
Then forces from World Can’t Wait, college students from Students for a Democratic Society, the Granny Peace Brigade, MDS-SI, the Harlem Revolution Club, and CodePink joined by local residents gathered outside the Army Carrier Center in East Harlem/”El Barrio”. Again, lots of media were there: CNN, New Tang Dynasty TV, the New York Times, Next Left Notes and the student paper at Yeshiva University..
“”What are they recruiting for?” the protesters chanted, replying, “Murder, rape, torture, war!”
“They held aloft signs with the messages “Say No to the Military Recruitment Center” and “Shut Down The Military Recruiters! No Iraq War! Drive Out Bush Regime!””
Twice before in NYC World Can’t Wait and others have announced protests at military recruiters, only to find the offices closed on the day of the protest. So there were contingency plans for an unannounced march to another recruitment station in central Harlem on 125th Street.
The spirited march of 40, joined at this point by students from Fordham Students Against the War, marched up through East Harlem/”El Barrio”, and then across on 125th Street, and was warmly greeted by hundreds, perhaps thousand, along the way. Some joined the march along the way, including a very outspoken Afro-American woman from East Harlem, whose son is now in Iraq, who came and spoke the bitterness of many of how the lives of their sons were being jeopardized in an unjust war, based on lies.
Caught by surprise, this central Harlem recruiting station was still open. A crowd gathered as demonstrators stood in front of the doors. There was an informal “speak out” as a small crowd gathered. Minor scuffles broke out when a couple of people tried to brush through the protesters standing in front of the door entrance to the recruiting center and eventually the police were called to escort the military recruiters out of the recruitment center. By 5:00 PM, the central Harlem recruiting center was closed.
2 closed recruitment centers in one day – not bad.
Chicago: Evict Army Recruiters from our campus!
FRIDAY NOON FEB15th – Students Deliver Eviction Notices to Recruiters
College students and high school students were presented with a sunny and not too windy day in Chicago, which allowed them to brave the cold and take a stand against military recruiters at a U.S. Army Recruiting Center in Chicago. The students gathered around 11 a.m. and by noon, they were
ready to deliver between 50-100 “eviction notices” to the recruiters detailing how they were unwelcome.
Students from DePaul University, Columbia College, and other high school students walked to the front of the military recruiting center and were joined by several more activists from World Can’t Wait, etc. and stood outside demanding an end to this illegal war.
The recruiting center is strategically placed in a storefront in the Loop. It is in a “super-dormitory” that houses students from DePaul, Columbia College, and Roosevelt University. Also, from the storefront, you can see a high school right across the street from it. Clearly, the fact that the military and government owns this property is no mistake.
As expected, the military recruiters were chicken hawks and hid or “went to lunch” while the students stood outside taking a stand. Because the chicken hawk recruiters were not around, the students were forced to post the notices of “eviction” on the windows and door of the recruiting center so they would be there for the public to see and the recruiters to read when they returned.
Following the posting of evictions, students and other activist took turns speaking out. With an orange banner telling people to “Evict the Army Recruiters”, the demonstration caught the eyes and attention of all who
passed by.
We chanted, “What are they recruiting for? Murder, rape, torture, war.”
All who rose to speak alluded to the systems that America supports which make it profitable and necessary to fight illegal wars like the one in Iraq. We spoke to the fact that the elections will not stop this war. And we spoke about some of the dark history in America’s past that has led us to where we are today.
The success that we had was a result of students from all over the Chicago area coming together to demand that students stop enlisting to fight this illegal war and to demand that the military stop deceiving and conning
people into going to fight this illegal war.
This action today was held to stand in solidarity with Berkeley. But it was bigger than that. It was a rebirth of the peace or stop the war movement in Chicago.
From here, we continue to build for our actions on March 19th and 20th. Kevin Gosztola in Chicago
The students collected 100s of eviction notices from students who signed them, but could not come to the action–both from college and high school students. Also the students vowed to return on Wednesday at noon to deliver these eviction notices when the recruiter center is open and are building to have more students present.
At the closed center, many students talked about what the military recruitment center symbolizes, calling it an institution of death. They spoke to how recruiters use deceptive promises of free college education and career opportunities to lure the poor and minorities to enlist. The suicide rates among Iraq vets and vets with PTSD were highlighted as well. One woman read a poem from “Poems from Guantanamo” and talked about how torture is not being committed by a “few bad apples” but rather that these soldiers are given orders from the top down to commit war crimes.
Another organizer talked about how what has happened in Berkley has the potential to spread else where, but that we are responsible for making that happen.
Then on: Monday March 3, 2008 4:00 pm
Students will counter-recruit at the recruiter’s outpost. Rather than signing up to carry out war crimes with the lying representatives of the army, students will be invited to join the resistance.
WEAR ORANGE IN RESISTANCE!
At the University Center (at State and Harrison) Evict the War Criminals! Shut them Down!
Thursday March 20, 2008 at 7a.m. Final Plans being developed — Keep in Touch!
Contact: wcwstudentschicago@yahoo.com WEAR ORANGE IN RESISTANCE! 773-227-2453
Seattle: No Business As Usual at Army Recruitment Center February 15/16
When we arrived at the Military recruiting center, it was already closed. he news had reported on our event the evening before and told people the ime of the rally. We were interviewed by Kiro and King 5, two of the main TV stations in Seattle. Lots of people were wearing orange. There ere about 30 people. We launched a speakout and people told why they came that day.
Two vets showed up. One was a Latino from the first Gulf War. He talked of how he was a Republican when he went into the military, came to understand how Latinos come to the US and are treated like criminals. He
connected this up with what he was doing in the military and became very adical. The other was an Air Force vet. He talked of how the people eed to understand the Democratic Party will not do anything. He had a
view similar to others we have met who see through the elections: he thought that if Obama gets elected, the people will be disappointed and hen they will rise up. In the meantime, there is not a lot we can do. We talked about that, including why they were here today and what more they needed to do. They both wanted to shut down the recruiting centers and tell other youth about the military.
We talked to people who were passing by about the fact that the recruiters ere forced to shut down because we were there. People were very heartened by the way the people had been able to directly effect things in that way by our resistance.
High school students from one high school where there had been other walkouts in November were excited to be part of the action, although they were a little disappointed the recruiting center was closed because they had looked forward to shutting it down. They had been part of walkouts in November. They had been part of going to the school board in the wake of those walkouts to protest discipline and also to urge the school board to get rid of the recruiters. They had concluded that they needed to be involved in shutting down the recruiters themselves because they were frustrated about their voice was not heard, they can’t vote and the school board did not listen to them. They told of how in school, they were told they can’t do anything or question things. They hated that when they spoke, people put them down just because they are so young.
These students who came to the action had quite a good understanding of the importance of stopping the recruiters, the war and some about the ascist direction of society. A couple other people had been to Nova HS
which is relatively close to the recruiting center. There, the understanding was considerably lower. Some Black youth talked of why hould they care what is going on because they are just trying to survive.Overall there is a lot of hatred of the recruiters and some want to know more but there is also a lot of accepting them. Think of how these students have known only one president, George Bush. One told of how she had told the recruiters no but they visited her mom separately from her, told her mom she had joined and wanted her mom to sign to give permission for her to join. Another told of a mentally ill student whose parents told the recruiters about the student’s condition but they continued to call. There were other stories of lying and harassment by the recruiters.
One of the people from high school said that they felt like we were intruding” because we didn’t go there and that they already have their own thing going on against the war and that they knew how to best deal with the recruiters because they experienced them everyday. We told him that this wasn’t just about recruiters, that they don’t just effect high school students but instead they are responsible for perpetrating war crimes against the people of the world and killing up to a million Iraqis. We also talked about there is a whole fascist direction being hammered into place and we need a mass movement of millions of people in this country to be in political motion and resisting. Most of the response was very positive from the high school students. We also told people about this being a springboard action to March 19th.
Since the recruiter office was closed Friday, a group of people returned Saturday morning. Surprise, surprise, the office was closed again despite it usually being open on Saturdays. We observed signs on the windows of
the recruiting office said: “Closed. No War”, “Iraq, Get Out. Iran, Stay Out. Bush and Cheney, Drive Out”, “Closed due to lack of cannon fodder”, “We”re closed because we”re afraid of people confronting us about
war crimes.”
Los Angeles:
Report February 15th in Los Angeles – Day of National Resistance Against Military’s Aggressive
Targeting of Youth to Fight this Illegal and Immoral War
VIDEO: Hollywood Recruiting Station
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A group of over 30 people gathered in front of the Hollywood Armed Forces Recruiting Station, prompting the early closure that day of this entry to the killing machine. It was quickly redecorated with a “Stop Torture” banner that accurately captured what people are being recruited for, and WCW posters.
Ages ranged from 4 month-old Jake in his “Stop Wars” t-shirt to grandmother Mary who was all decked-out in orange. Two people who have been regularly attending actions in their orange jumpsuits and chains again sharpened the debate with the graphic image that they create. A torture survivor/activist from El Salvador held a placard that read “Stop Torture” with the stenciled images of 2 Guantanamo detainees in the graffiti style of Banksy. Two ninth-graders from a nearby high school came; one had also joined us for the Orange Alert in November & this time wore an orange jumpsuit and found it quite unnerving. They wondered where everyone else from school was since a lot of students wore the orange flagging tape, some for the day, some for months.* (priority for us: have more presentations in schools leading up to March 19th) Half a dozen enthusiastic college students were sent by their professor to document the action through photos, video and written word for their campus Chicano publication, interviewing a number of people in depth, including Fernando Suarez del Solar, who started the Guerrero Azteca Peace Project, after his son, Luis, became the first Latino to die in the unjust war in Iraq. He held a sign with a photo of Luis and the words “Bush Lied, My Son Died”. Representatives from Answer-LA, CodePink-LA, and Coalition for World Peace spoke in solidarity with the actions taking place around the country. World Can’t Wait-LA read the statement from Debra Sweet and led the great chants that Berkeley had developed. Then we took off led by 2 jumpsuited “detainees” for a march down Hollywood Blvd. to reach out to the crowds there. At a busy intersection Fernando spoke on the bullhorn – first in Spanish and then in English – he called on people to resist enlisting in this illegal war, linking the government that raids and breaks families apart, is murdering the people in Iraq. A group of people gathered around, listening. We chanted, passed out flyers, and challenged people to take a stand, bringing out that if they hate the war, torture, theocracy, etc., but don’t speak, then they are complicit in these crimes.
Response was mixed, some actually laughed at seeing the orange suited detainees and we sharply responded, do you think torture is a joke? Is waterboarding a joke? Many of them were silent after that. One of the strongest responses we got was a Latino middle-aged couple – the woman thanked and applauded us.
Today’s action whetted people’s appetites to continue these efforts, as part of mobilizing people outside the electoral box to stop the war and the whole direction that the Bush regime and the complicit Democrats are taking things. People are anxious to build for the March actions.
Media: Ch. 62 Azteca Television, Spanish language TV, sent a reporter and cameraman to cover the protest. The reporter was surprised to learn that funding under No Child Left Behind mandated that schools turn over names and addresses of high school students to recruiters. She wanted to inform parents of the opt out clause and asked what we hoped to achieve by being out at the recruitment centers. Our response, “Stop recruiting our young people to fight an illegal and criminal war. These centers are part of the military institution which is carrying out war crimes in our names”.
Earlier that afternoon, two of us were interviewed for KPFK radio evening news, so the LA and national actions were reported on that night on English and Spanish language news, in the midst of the intense fundraising drive at the station.
The college students” publication will feature an article next month on war resisters and conscientious objectors.
* Report from high school organizer:
Announcements were made in two classrooms on Thursday where a teacher said that one of his friend’s sons had been harassed by recruiters, to the point where the recruiter gave the student a ride home, invited himself in, and tried to force the parents into releasing their 17-year old son to the army when he turns 18. The parents didn’t give in – a small victory, but how often is that happening?
On Friday, an ex-military guy said he was against the war, but supported the military and the need to fill its ranks by recruiting these youth. He started shouting me down, creating an atmosphere of confusion. Students were running back and forth to find out what we were saying. Several students took him on (in a very casual way). There were a lot of questions about how we can make change…breaking through the elections framework (with several students I’ve met before), thinking about this challenging but necessary “mission of our generation”.
Washington DC:
Join World Can’t Wait and Code Pink. Take Action / No Business As Usual at the US Armed Forces Recruiting Center
8202 Georgia Avenue Silver Spring, MD 4:00 – 6:00 PM
The Center is located three blocks from the Silver Spring Metro at the intersection of Silver Spring Avenue and Georgia Avenue. From the South Side Metro Exit, walk one block east on Bonifant Street to Georgia Avenue, then south (right) two blocks to the recruiting station on the right. Driving on Georgia Avenue from DC, the recruiting station is on the left, about two blocks past East-West Highway (Rt. 410). 202-536-4313
Video