SDS, A Year Later - Report Back by Thomas Good, SDS New York My role in MDS is traditionally that of a recording or reporting secretary so what follows is a chronology of new SDS since its inception a little over a year ago. Press coverage: We have had excellent press coverage including articles in the following periodicals: NY Sun, NPR, NY Times (M19 arrests and Pace struggle), Washington Post, Orlando Weekly, Boston Globe, Democracy Now, In These Times, Industrial Worker, Inside Higher Ed, LA Free Press, NY Daily News, NY Post, Newsday, Village Voice, Monthly Review, Pace Press (NLN Photo!), Student Underground, Phoenix, Tucson Weekly, Z Mag, numerous other alternative and foreign press news services. Arrests: We have seen our activists arrested in a variety of locations, clearly indicating the need for the MDS legal support effort to be kicked into high gear: - March 19 - 6 SDS members arrested at an anti-war protest in NYC (Pat Korte, Davey Vacek, Dann Mirisola, Doug Viehmeyer, Tom Good and Ben Maurer) - May - Olympia, WA: several SDS arrested for blockading port of Olympia (Brendan Dunn arrested multiple times) - August 28: Madison SDS activist for protesting neo-nazis - October 5: 3 members of SDS Olympia arrested in Seattle for possession of a flag October 7: Pat Korte arrested for protesting against Minutemen - November 15: Brian Kelly, John Cronan, Lauren Giaccone, Davey Vacek and Alex Cline arrested at Pace University - January 10: Eric Eingold arrested at UCF for running a Free Store - February 15: Karim Ahmath (Bellingham SDS) was arrested at a career fair for leafletting at an Army recruiter's table (Washington State) Chapters: Currently we have approximately 250 chapters - 46 high school, 140 university based, 50+ sds/mds chapters, 2 German chapters, a chapter in New Zealand, 2 chapters in Canada, members in Michoacan, Mexico and several allied university based organizations including STAND (Students Toward A New Democracy), DANCE (Direct Action Networking Collective) and SLAM (Student Liberation Action Movement). SDS Chronology: * December - Pat Korte and Jessica Rapchik contacted me in early December suggesting we restart sds. I set up a national website and a mailing list. * January - Dave McReynolds, a War Resisters League comrade introduced me to Paul Buhle in early January. Paul was very enthusiastic about restarting sds. - MLK Jr day (January 16th) we issued a call for a national organization * February - SDS Chapters begin to hold meetings - New York forms multiple, active, chapters: Pace, Pratt SDS & New School's DANCE Collective - Bergen County SDS formed by high school students and Doug Viehmeyer - Movement for a Democratic Society, Staten Island, formed by Wobblies (including Tom Good) * March/April - SDS goes into the streets: - March 5 - Pace SDS heckles Bill Clinton and Pace overreacts threatening to expel two SDSers (Brian Kelly and Lauren Giaccone) - March 11 - SDS New York tables at the Left Forum to a warm response - March 13 - SDS holds a press conference on the steps of NYC City Hall to demand free speech at Pace + - March 19 - 6 SDS members arrested at an anti-war protest in NYC called by the War Resisters League (many WRLers report they love the militancy of the youthful SDSers "sea of gray hair parted") Among those arrested were Pat Korte, Doug Viehmeyer and Tom Good - March 19 - Univ of Central Florida SDS delivers cakes (3) to recruiters, one for each year of the war. - March 19 - David Rosheim becomes a one man SDS presence in Iowa - March 28 - New School SDS protests at French Consulate, MDSers legal observes - during the protest the French Press Atache comes out to explain his government's position (sheer luck saved a small protest) - March 28 - University of Central Florida (UCF) SDS disrupts a Jeb Bush speech - March 30 - Tom Hayden at the Strand - he "Never knew there were so many!" (young SDSers) - April 1 - SDS NYC marches over the Brooklyn Bridge in an Immigrants' Rights protest - April 10 - SDS NYC marches over the Brooklyn Bridge in another Immigrant Rights protest, joined by Veterans for Peace Chapter Number 034 - April 17 - SDS/WRL actvists have their charges dropped (from M19) and march from the courthouse to the Internal Revenue Service to protest the use of taxes for war, working with WRL - April 20 - UCF SDS Hands Off Iran Action - April 23 - SDS Northeast Regional (Providence) Bernardine Dohrn, Carl Oglesby and Bob Ross all spoke...need for an activist MDS stressed, main MDS initiatives unveiled: legal support, Radical Education Project (REP) and Radicals In The Professions (RIP) - April 29 - SDS/WRL form an anti-authoritarian contingent for the UFPJ anti-war march - recruitment picks up dramatically * May - Gigantic May Day Immigrant Rights March (NYC), SDS was there - May Day Action - CC Left (SDS) at Connecticut College marched - Immigrant Rights March M20 - NYC, SDS marched - Throughout the Spring - UCF SDS Spring Actions - Memorial Day: Fleet Week Protest (SDS NYC contingent included high school members, handling of Protest Warriors earned WRL praise) + - SDS protests in Olympia, blockading the port to prevent deployment of the Stryker Brigade to Iraq (Lt Watada from 3rd Stryker Brigade announces intent to refuse deployment). Several arrests including Brendan Dunn, arrested multiple times. SDS gets national attention. * June - June 2: Kansas City SDS Wal-Mart Action - CodePINK Kansas organized an action at a gas station to demonstrate connection of Big Oil to the Iraq War, SDS participated. - June 19: SDS New York organized a protest at the Merchant Marine Academy (Bush spoke at the commencement). - June 26: Protest At The US Mission (SDS Legal Observes for WRL Catholic Worker and WAT) - June 28: SDS Vigil For Lt. Watada (Staten Island) SDS High School chapter from Jersey Shore and UCF SDSer Jeff Smith was also present. * July - July 15: MDSers at Witness Against Torture Vigil * August - August 4-7: 2006 SDS National Convention (Chicago) MDS forms MDS, Inc to provide one source of funds for student activists: general funds and legal support, discussion about REP begins in earnest, it becomes a joint SDS/MDS project. - August 26: Defend Lebanon and Palestine Demo (Astoria) SDS works with a variety of POC led groups + - August 28: Madison SDS activist for protesting neo-nazis, local infoshop posts bail * September - September 7: UCF kicks off "Free Store" to combat consumerism on campus - September 10: Grannies March In Brooklyn (NYC), SDS/MDS join in cementing a relationship with Granny Peace Brigade - September 12: SDS UNC Chapel Hill protest fmr Atty Gen John Ashcroft visit, demanding war criminals get off their campus - September 17: Number The Dead Protest (NYC) - SDSers storm Washington Square, draw alot of attention from other protesters used to passive marches - September 19: SDS Protests At The UN (NYC), Uruj Sheijk speaks - September 20: SDS Tuscaloosa protests recruiters at univ career fair - September 23: Iowa City SDS tables at local peace fest, lots of interest - September 23: SDS Ohio protests neo Nazis - holds a rally on OSU campus - September 30: Brown SDS joins police brutality protest in Providence - September 30: SDS UNC Charlotte protests the war * October + - October 5: 3 members of SDS Olympia arrested in Seattle for possession of an anarchosyndicalist flag - FBI/Police targeting? - October 5: World Can't Wait Protest (NYC) - SDS HS chapters, including deaf SDSers, march. That same day: Fredericksburg VA, Univ Mary Washington SDS does a banner drop, Tuscaloosa SDS holds a march and rally against the war - October 6: UCF SDS Protests War Profiteers (Orlando) delivers letter to Univ President demanding UCF sever ties with war profiteers - October 7: Police Riot At Anti-Racist Protest (NYC) + Pat Korte arrested for protesting against Minutemen - October 14: The Bronx Says No To War! (NYC) SDS joins with Bronx Action for Peace and Justice - October 19: UCF SDS wins Free Speech award from local Orlando law firm, award presented on steps of US courthouse - October 23: Protest On The Staten Island Ferry (NYC) Large number of SDS joins the Grannies to support the We Will Not Be Silent campaign and demands an end to racial profiling on the Staten Island Ferry - October 23: Asheville NC SDS kicks off Palestine Solidarity Week - October 28: Staten Island Peace Festival (NYC) Pat Korte speaks for SDS/Tom Good speaks for MDS - October 30: Brooklyn College SDS counter recruitment actions organized by Jon Harvey and Eugene Lerner * November - November 4: Mark Rudd Speaks At Drew University (NJ) The new Drew SDS chapter was there. - November 11: SDS Marches Against Apartheid Walls with several Middle East peace groups (after citywide) (NYC) + - November 15: Brian Kelly, Lauren Giaccone, Davey Vacek, John Cronan and Alex Cline arrested for leafleting at Pace. NLG, Pace Transport Union and Faculty outraged... NLG very supportive throughout the experience. - November 17: SDS Northwest Regional Conference in Portland - November 21: Gainesville SDS demonstrates in solidarity with Oaxaca * December - December 11: Faculty Protest At Pace University (NYC) in support of arrested Pace SDSers - December 16: Shopping For Justice (Sean Bell) Protest (NYC) Massive civil rights march - large SDS presence - December 21: Day Of Outrage (Sean Bell) Protest (NYC) SDSers in middle of very militant march, no arrests - December 31: 3000 US War Dead Protest (NYC) - SDSers on Staten Island stunned at response to the protest (very positive) in a conservative boro, Lauren Giaccone was interviewed on NY 1 * January - January 1: New Years Day Candlelight Vigil (Staten Island) Staten Island High School SDSer joins vigil + - January 10: Eric Eingold arrested at UCF for running a Free Store outside the student union, charge "trespass" on UCF - January 11: Staten Island Will Not Be Silent Protest vigil called by MDS Staten Island sees large turnout with members of the World Can't Wait and Military Families Speak Out helping plan the event to mark the 5th anniversary of the conversion of the Guantanamo Military Base (Cuba) into a concentration camp and torture center. - January 13: SDS Southeast Regional Conference in Orlando - January 15: March For Justice On MLK Day (IWW), SDS participated. - January 18: 3000 Too Many Protest (UCF SDS): large rally and march in Orlando - January 27: J27 Protest in Wasington DC. A very large and loud SDS Contingent gets good press in the Washington Post. * February - February 2: SDS Ohio holds a protest at Ohio Univ (Athens) demanding accountability from an administration that gives itself pay raises while cutting student programs - February 15: Karim Ahmath (Bellingham SDS) was arrested at a career fair at Western Washington University for leafletting in front of an Army recruiting table. As you can see alot has happened in a year's time and SDS is not standing still. It is time for MDS to get in the struggle and support our student activists in any way we can. I urge everyone to carry a camera and a notepad to every action you attend - to document what is happening and get the story to NLN. The stories inspire others and each time we have a successful action a new chapter springs up. We are the media, we are making - and writing - our own history. Speaking of historic moments and people who recognize them, it is my pleasure to introduce a comrade who is an ex-Weatherman, famed former leader of the 1968 Columbia Strike and a fellow seeker of creative strategies for nonviolent resistance - my Brother, Mark Rudd. Give it up for Mark!