Not Your Soldier Day Observed at CSU East Bay

A table for Not Your Soldier Day, a day of action initiated by the National Youth and Student Peace Coalition, was sponsored today at Cal State East Bay at the Hayward campus by Alliance for Social Justice, a socio political activist organization on campus, from 12-2pm in front of the University Union.

President Gregg Horton and Co-Adviser Tina Phillips staffed the table which featured pamphlets, buttons, comic books, fliers, and a collage display (much of the materials were graciously donated from 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.

Co-Adviser Tina Phillips mostly strafed the table, while President Gregg Horton called attention to the table and issue by wearing a sign which read, “Another dead college student sent to Iraq” while laying down in the middle of the walk way where students hurried to class. This caught a lot of attention.

At one point a campus police officer asked Gregg if he had a permit, to which he replied yes. The officer then asked him if he had a permit to lay in the walk way, to which he replied yes. Surprisingly the officer then walked away. Gregg had no such permit, but assured me that he was willing to be arrested for this cause and felt it would bring even more attention to the cause if he had been.

Two students stuck out among the students who talked with us. 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.” She is now part of a growing peace movement and thanked us for sponsoring the table.

The other student was crying as she came up to Gregg as he laid on the ground. She explained that her husband was in Iraq and she found Gregg's act distasteful. We both explained to her that we wanted her husband to come home now and we wanted to end the illegal war he was sent to fight. She said she understood but that she still felt Greg's display unnecessary. We explained to her once again that we were trying to make a statement and that although it was offensive to some, so was the Iraq war itself.

Many students thanked us for sponsoring the table and the buttons which read “No to the Iraq War” were almost gone after two hours. We are hoping to get The Pioneer, the student newspaper to cover the event by publishing a story about it (a reporter did come to our table). We felt the event was a success and hope to do more anti-war and anti-military recruitment activities at the Cal State East Bay campus.

To learn more about Alliance for Social Justice please email us at alliance4sj [at] csueastbay.edu.