As you might have read in that action alert I posted yesterday, students from the Mount Mansfield Union High School Peace Club, in conjunction with Iraq Veterans Against he War and a bunch of others in solidarity staged an action today at the Military Recruitment Office in Williston today, with the intent of shutting it down so that no one could go in and sign up to be cannon fodder. The students are also trying to draw attention to the presence of military recruiters in the schools, as well as to inspire and teach high school students about the importance speaking out and acting. From the press release earlier: On the heels of a campaign launched earlier this week from the halls of MMU, the crowd on Friday will unite under the banner, “Out of Our Schools – Out of Iraq,” which in part “calls upon high school students to learn about and use non-violent civil disobedience to intervene directly in all institutions that are waging this war. Now is the time for students to do this as it becomes increasingly obvious our government, our parents and our teachers will not do it for us,” MMU student Phoebe Pritchett explains. “Military recruiters have had unfettered access to our schools and our personal, private information for too long. We demand an immediate end to this war based on lies and deception, and that our schools shut their doors permanently to the military. We are done doing push-ups in the hallway for a free t-shirt today, and a flag sent home to our parents tomorrow,” says Emily Coon of the MMU Peace Club. Some of the outrage also stems from a provision in Bush's No Child Left Behind Act that requires schools to hand over student names and phone numbers to recruiters, unless the children's parents opt out. Interestingly enough, as I was standing outside the Army/National Guard office, I had the privilege of conversing with Dottye Ricks, the woman from Military Families Speak Out who gave that powerful speech at the beginning of the controversial meeting with Peter Welch a few weeks ago. She told me how today she heard Welch on VPR and called in and asked him something to the extent of what he would do about the NCLB/recruiter problem and she told me that he got rather testy and didn't seem to know much about what she was talking about. Anyways, I arrived about 3pm in the parking lot of that fake town/altar of excess known as Maple Tree Place, met a few other participants, ad proceeded to head down to the recruiters' office, where I was told we'd be meeting another group of marchers. I'd also heard that there was going to be a counter-demonstration led by radio blowhard Paul Beaudry and a group of Others Who Crap Their Pants On A Daily Basis Since 9-11, but that turned out to be a false one. Perhaps there was a toilet stall somewhere that needed his attention. Anyways, the group coalesced around the outside of the office, only to find that it was already closed and locked. Jeez. That was easy. Soon, the other group had met up with us, there was some chanting, a general great buzz and excitement in the air. There was press, both mainstream and indy, as well as a subdued police presence. Some of the demonstrators taped various signs to the windows, as well as pictures of injured soldiers and dead Iraqis. It didn't seem like there was going to be an opportunity for civil disobedience, as it's rather difficult to block entry to a closed, locked office with no one entering. I was chatting with a few  people when I noticed on the other side of the green, next to the movie theater, an office that said "Army National Guard" above it. I went over to have a look, and it was open, so I reported back to some others, and off we all went. At that point, some of us went in to the office. There was one guy sitting at a desk who pretty much ignored everybody, and the military guys were all in back behind some closed door. More chanting and happy ruckus abounds. Someone with a bullhorn began to read off the name of Iraqis killed. Eventually, more police showed up (eventually it was the Williston, South Burlington, and Essex Police, the State Troopers, and the Chittenden County Sheriff). The group was asked to leave, and many did. About 10 or 15 stayed behind and sat down. The cops then blocked the entrance, and the group inside, which consisted of students and older folks, were then issued citations. The chanting and revelry continued for about an hour. The mood was actually quite good. Although there was a definitive police presence, there wasn't really much tension in the air, and there was no violence or escalated confrontation to speak of. Eventually, those inside were taken into a back room where they were put into a Sheriff's van, taken to the South Burlington police station, cited fro trespassing, and released. All in all, a great day. But the success of the office shutting down for the day is really only a small part of the picture. The real story is the fact that a bunch of high school students coordinated this thing, put it together, and it worked. From what I gathered, they were focussed, on message, and well-organized, which is a lot more than you can say for a lot of other actions that devolve in chaos or a bunch of people sitting around holding hands and singing Imagine. Go look at this excellent slide show of the event over at the Free Press site. You'll see what I mean. No, it's not Chicago or Paris '68. But it wasn't supposed to be. It's something to look forward to. I've been quite jaded these last few years. The Bush years have definitely taken their toll on me, as they have on many of you, I'm sure. But I think that many of us who were there today who have our high school years well behind us left there just a little less jaded today. I know I did. These young people aren't stupid. They've spent almost half their years under Bush in this America that I sometimes hardly recognize any more. They're sick of being lied to, by the government, by military recruiters. Maybe they're getting as mad as hell and they're not going to take it anymore. Good. As more coverage of this rolls in, I'll update this post, so if you're following it, check in every now and then. Excellent prelim coverage by NTodd at Pax Americana here, with some fantastic photos here. I finally got to meet him today. Full press release here. Burlington Free Press article here. More to come. UPDATE: Another press release, post event, says: Jaz Whitney was one of 3 minors cited with trespassing at the office inn act of civil disobedience and explains, “Not one but two recruiting offices were shut down for the day, we gained great visibility, and our voices and messages were loud and clear. The situation inside the recruitment office was nerve-racking, but I wasn’t going to back down from something I believe in. This is a great segue into other actions, we will stop this war and get the military our of our schools.” |
