Feature Archives

On Tuesday, December 6th, the US Supreme Court began to decide the constitutionality of the Solomon Amendment, which denies federal funding for schools that don't allow military recruitment on campus in the case of FAIR v Rumsfeld. Students and activists in the Campus Antiwar Network, and many other people nationwide, held rallies and marches in solidarity with the counter-recruitment activists in the Supreme Court case.

In San Francisco, a rally was held at Justin Herman Plaza. The crowd marched to the Davis Street Recruitment Station at 670 Davis Street to voice its outrage.Photos | Report
Past Coverage Of Counter Recruitment Protests:
Berkeley ( 1 | 2 | 3 ), Oakland, San Francisco ( 1 | 2 ), Santa Cruz, Hayward, Eureka ( 1 | 2 ) and Petaluma

Returning from his China getaway, Bush has again been met outside his ranch near Crawford, Texas by people from across the state and country, demanding an immediate end to the US occupation of Iraq.

Renewing the Camp Casey protest vigil in central Texas, a dozen anti-war activists challenged the county’s recent laws against camping or parking on the side of any public road. Those arrested included Daniel Ellsberg, former diplomat Ann Wright, and DeDe Miller, Cindy Sheehan’s sister. They are charged with trespassing and obstructing the road. They were sitting in the ditch along a county road, and no obstruction occurred. Each of these Orwellian criminal misdemeanors carries a possible 180 in jail, and a $2,000 fine.

Reports With Photos: Nov. 26th | Nov. 25th | Nov. 24th | Past Photos From Crawford

On November 18th, the Eureka Military Recruiting Center was shut down for the day by approximately 200 protesters. Present at the protest were students, peace groups, Buddhists meditating for peace and people young and old who are disgusted with Bush’s war for oil. Participation in this sparsely populated area was high, partly in protest of police brutality and the arrest of four cyclist on route to an earlier war protest. Like the earlier protest, a CHP helicopter brought in from Redding circled overhead and police used scare tactics with the presence of rubber bullet weapons and tear gas launchers. No arrests were made but at least 6 harassment citations were given to protesters for such things as riding a bicycle on the sidewalk and obstructing traffic. Read More
Past Coverage Of Eureka Anti-War Protests: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

The National Youth and Student Peace Coalition initiated Not Your Solider Day, which was observed on November 17th around the country on college and high school campuses. It was a day taken to counter-recruit students and show them what really happens when you enlist in the military. The day also helps to show alternatives to going into the military and gives information on how to resist a draft.

A table for Not Your Soldier Day was held at the Hayward Campus of Cal State East Bay by Alliance for Social Justice, a socio-political activist organization on campus, from 12-2pm in front of the University Union. The table featured pamphlets, buttons, comic books, fliers, and a collage display. Many of the materials had been donated by the American Friends Service Committee and The Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors. The information provided was to help students make a more informed decision when considering enlisting in the U.S. military, to provide alternatives to enlistment, and to promote peace and justice work instead.

Two students stuck out in the minds of the table staff. One was a recent Iraq vet who said the Iraq war changed her life. She dropped her military career and is now pursuing school. She said she really came to believe that, “The only liberated Iraqi was a dead Iraqi.” The other student was crying as she came up to a protester as he laid on the ground. She explained that her husband was in Iraq and she found Gregg's act distasteful. The tablers explained to her that they were trying to make a statement and that although it was offensive to some, so was the Iraq war itself. Overall, the organizers felt that the event was a success, and they hope to do more anti-war and anti-military recruitment activities on the Cal State East Bay campus. Photos

On November 18th, Not in Our Name joined CODEPINK at the Oakland Militiary Recruiting Station for a fake bake sale and street theater to protest the war, military recruiting, and to support Army National Guard SPC Katherine Jashinski who is currently speaking out against the war. Photos | Video
Also on November 18th, Cindy Sheehan, Peter Camejo, Barbara Becnel and Todd Chretien spoke at an event called Turning the Tide Against the War in Iraq and at Home, at UC Berkeley. Photos

November 17th, 2005: Courage to Resist reports that as thousands gathered at Fort Benning in Georgia today to call for the closure of the notorious School of the Americas (SOA/ WHINSEC), Army National Guard Specialist Katherine Jashinski publicly announced her refusal to be deployed to the Middle East. She said that she had come to a point where she felt that she was being forced to choose between her "legal obligation to the Army and (her) deepest moral values." She chose to honor her beliefs. She said that as a result of her travels and experiences in the military, she came to believe that taking human life was wrong and war was no exception. She said that while she goes through an appeal of the rejection of her application for conscientious objector (CO) status, she will continue to follow orders that do not conflict with her conscience.

Jashinski, who is 22 years old, is the first woman in the military to publicly declare resistance to participation in the war. Many people in the anti-war movement have taken inspiration from soldiers, veterans and military families who oppose Bush's war on Iraq. Read more, including Katherine Jashinski's statement from November 17th

Courage to Resist School of the Americas Watch

Colin Powell spoke at De Anza College from November 9th through November 11th. A peace camp and various civil disobedience actions took place throughout the three days, sponsored by a wide range of students and Bay Area anti-war organizations.
Students for Justice held a speak-out at the Campus Center Plaza on Wednesday November 9th and marched to protest Powell’s first speech that evening.
Wrap up of the first day of resistance | Cindy Sheehan speaks about Iraq war, Powell at De Anza

People protested Powell's second appearance on Thursday evening. Some people went inside the auditorium dressed in white t-shirts with the message "Powell Bloody Hands" and stood up during his talk to confront him. Photos

On Friday November 11th, protests started in front of the Flint Center before Powell’s third appearance. One protester got inside and was arrested and while others tried to push their way through the police line outside. While the majority of those who engaged in confrontation were white, most of the people arrested were people of color. Out of seven of the protesters who were arrested outside of the Flint Center, six were Muslims of Arabic and African descent. "They couldn't stand that we were dressed in Palestinian and Arabic clothes...They wanted revenge so they chased down, every one of us who were Muslim, until they could beat and arrest us, that's what they were waiting for " said De Anza student Hanni Zaki, 22, who was hospitalized for receiving injury to the head from police who stepped on his face and beat him with their batons.
Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11
Minorities Beat by Police at Powell Protest | Students Arrested at Powell Speech Protest Accuse Police of Racial Profiling

Event Announcement | Freak Radio PSA

Colin Powell De Anza College Resistance Blog | Powell's speech insults working-class concerns | La Voz interview with Colin Powell | Flint Center patron verbally attacks De Anza student protester (Video)

A spirited rally was called for by BAYAN USA on November 4th outside San Francisco's Federal Building to express outrage at the US Marines involved in the gang rape of a Filipina woman in the Philippines on Tuesday, November 1.
Over 60 community members came out to the chilly plaza of San Francisco's Federal Building to express solidarity with the unidentified 22 year old woman who was brutally attacked by US soldiers. The guilty soldiers are currently being held in the Philippines under the custody of the US Embassy in Manila. Bayan USA spokesperson Berna Ellorin said: "Absolutely NO IMMUNITY must be granted to the six suspects under US jurisdiction. They must surrender to Philippine jurisdiction to be tried and held accountable to the Filipino people and its legal system...Anything else in NOT justice." Speakers at Friday's rally called for all US forces to leave the Philippines and for an end to the Visiting Forces Agreement. They also condemned Gloria Arroyo's administration as puppets of the US government.
Photos