Students Walking Out Picket Military Recruitment Offices

For Immediate Release Contact: Tahnee Nye, Lei Lani Dowell
February 21,2003 For more info: 415-821-6545

PRESS RELEASE

Today was a coordinated day of student resistance to a new US war on Iraq called for by Student and Youth A.N.S.W.E.R., the youth committee of the Int'l A.N.S.W.E.R. (Act Now to Stop War and End Racsim)Coalition. ANSWER organized the recent mass anti-war marches. Today's actions were part of a "Week of Resistance" against war which included last week's mass marches. In Berkeley approximately 300 students walked out in protest to the war. The administration of the school had locked the gates and students were threatened with expulsion if they walked out. Students chanted, "What do we want? Peace! When do we want it? Now!" and "Money for schools, not for war!"

The march remained spirited as it went through downtown and on and to the UC Berkeley military affairs facility. "The administration can not stop students from expressing our strong feelings against the war. Walking out is one of the few political actions we can take to show we're against the war. We have a responsibility to young people here that Bush wants to send to fight the war, and the people he wants to kill in Iraq," said Natividad Carrera a youth organizer with Student and Youth A.N.S.W.E.R. who helped lead chants in the march.

"Today we're protesting against the military on campus and I think this kind of thing will grow. We need money spent on real job training for rewarding jobs not employment slaughtering people from afar with high tech weaponry," said Jamie Hurlbut an organizer with Student and Youth A.N.S.W.E.R.

Across the Bay in San Francisco over 100 students gathered to picket a Military Recruiting office in protest to the war. Many students were from nearby Mercy High School, a private catholic school. "Mostly high school students joined the pickets at the military recruiters offices today," said Lei Lani Dowell a San Francisco State University student and organizer with Student and Youth A.N.S.W.E.R., "and they're leading the way for the student anti-war movement. Students just out of high school are the ones being sent to fight in Iraq. Many join the military because they had no other opportunities. For the sake of US GI's and Iraqi's we have to stop this war. The next walkouts are scheduled for March 5. The day is a National Moratorium all major anti-war groups are organizing fore. No work, no school to protest the war."

At a downtown military recruitment office on Broadway and Davis street in San Francisco other activists gathered to protest a new war. One activist locked himself to the door and eight others chained themselves to him blocking the entrance to the building. All were arrested and eight are currently still being held.

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