SSU gets 'attacked'

On February 19th, the Student Activist League of Sonoma (SALs) once again brought the peace movement to the Sonoma State University (SSU) campus. The action this past Wednesday was staged to “educate people on the ongoing wars that are escalating around the globe” and to “illustrate the increased militaristic policies of the United States” government, according to their press release. Despite the seriousness of the issues targeted by the group, the main effort was on bringing some humor to the debate.
The event started at around 10:50am with a gut-punching display of a dead American soldier draped in an American flag. At the head of the soldier was a placard with the words “Hi Mom, I’m Home” emblazoned in red white and blue. In the immediate vicinity of the soldier were other signs full of information ranging from fatalities of American Gulf War veterans since 1991 to the victimization of women and children as a result of war both here (in the United States) and abroad.
One student on her way to class, who was talking on her cell phone stepped over the dead body. It was not until she was halfway up the stairs that she realized what she had done, and it was at this moment that she yelled down to the organizers “That is the most disturbing thing ever.” The reaction from one of the organizers was replying, “That is the truth of war.” Other similar exchanges could be heard, but primarily it was silence that gripped the spectators.
At 11:50am, a ‘tank’ appeared from around the Commons building in the Main Quad of SSU. This ‘tank’ was constructed out of cardboard and was mounted upon an electric wheel chair that had been donated to the SALs group. Camouflage paint adorned the vehicle as well as corporate symbols such as Disney, GE, CNN, and a variety of oil companies. “The tank took up the banner of the actual owners of our military and who actually owns them,” stated Seann Pridmore, one of the many event organizers. As the tank left an area, the words “Jenin or Bust” and “Baghdad or Bust” were left visible to onlookers.
The ‘tank’ was initially viewed by hundreds of students who had been forced out of the Adlai Stevenson building due to a routine fire drill. Reactions were readily available as the ‘tank’ plowed its way through the crowd. Soon after some of the students returned to their classrooms, the gathering was enlivened by the pro-peace musical messages that Josh Cook relayed with the help of his guitar.
As the ‘tank’ rumbled around the (proposed) Mario Savio Free Speech Area, taking out ‘terrorists’ who wielded plastic weapons and rocks, mock messages from the United States government could be heard. “Buy oil, don’t ride your bike” and “this is democracy” were some of the humor-laced slogans that were hurled at the stunned students.
At the end of the day, one of the organizers was spurred on in their commitment to being an activist by the campus response. “This is what it is all about, I mean, we are all out here trying to make a difference and then you see someone when they get it. The look on their face is what makes this so necessary,” said senior Omar Malik.