Protesters occupying Rep. Vito Fossella’s office (Irving Silverstein / Staten Island Advance)

Staten Island, NY - March 23, 2007. 5 antiwar protesters were arrested on March 23, 2007 for reading the names of the US war dead aloud at Congressman Vito Fossella’s Staten Island district office - after congressional staffers refused to call Fossella to setup a meeting with the activists. Fossella, son of liberal Democrat Frank Fossella, is an ultra right wing Republican who is known for his pro-war politics and his history of voting against veterans’ benefits.

Staten Islanders Elaine Brower, Tom Good, Sally Jones and Barbara Walker were arrested while reading the names of US military personnel killed in action in Iraq at Fossella’s Staten Island office Friday, March 23. They were charged with disorderly conduct and criminal trespass. Ben Maurer, who resides in Bensonhurst - part of the 13th Congressional District, was also arrested. The five were part of a Peace Action Staten Island (PASI) “occupation” of Fossella’s office. Early Friday morning the activists spoke with Sherry Diamond, Fossella’s scheduler, informing her that they carried letters from constituents addressed to the Congressman and requesting a meeting with Fossella. When informed that Fossella was in Washington the protesters indicated a willingness to wait in the office until he returned. Diamond invited the protesters to make themselves comfortable. The protesters began reading the letters from constituents aloud.

Sally Jones reads a letter from a constituent (Devra Morice / Next Left Notes)

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[written by eric eingold]

Members of the Students for a Democratic Society at the University of Central Florida held a free breakfast on campus in solidarity with the Panther 8, former members of the Black Panther Party who have been arrested on 30 year old charges that were found to be without legal foundation after it was made clear that the government of this country acted with no respect for law and tortured suspects to extract confessions.

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SDS fielded a large contingent at the recent March On The Pentagon (Photo: Thomas Good)

New York, NY - March 21, 2007. The fourth anniversary of the war on Iraq was commemorated with several protests and related campaigns. The protests kicked off with the SDS Counter Recruitment action on March 12 (New York City). This protest was followed by a March on the Pentagon, a UFPJ March in New York, a civil disobedience on Wall Street and a student powered day of national action on March 20th. Organizers say that actions will continue - and a long, hot, summer of protest can be expected. In addition, SDS organizers from the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor), Michigan State (East Lansing) and Wayne State University (Detroit) are demanding their schools stop doing business with war profiteers. The divestment campaign is getting good press and things are heating up in the Midwest.

On March 17, despite a Nor’easter that dumped snow and ice on the east coast, a march on the Pentagon drew thousands of protesters. SDS fielded a contingent that included 3 UNC Chapters: Asheville; Chapel Hill, and; Charlotte. The contingent also included members of SDS New York, MDS New York, SDS Tuscaloosa (Alabama), SDS Athens (Ohio), SDS Columbus (Ohio), Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) SDS, SDS Tennesee, UCF SDS (about 30 members) and George Mason University SDS. SDSers joined Veterans for Peace, CodePINK and many others - braving a fierce wind and bitter cold.

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Also on March 17 there was a protest in Hollywood in which members of UCLA SDS took part.

A member of UCLA SDS (Photo: LA IndyMedia)

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Protesters block the entrance to the NY Stock Exchange (Photo: Devra Morice)

New York, NY - March 20, 2007. A total of forty-four people were arrested in the March 19th protests against war profiteering at the New York Stock Exchange. Many of those arrested are members of the War Resisters League. Also arrested were members of the Green Party, the Industrial Workers of the World, Catholic Worker, the New York Metro Alliance of Anarchists, the Granny Peace Brigade and Movement for a Democratic Society. A member of New School SDS was apparently swept by the NYPD: a number of SDS were on hand to support the action and one of these students was arrested. 11 members of a spirited Ya Basta! bloc were arrested in a related action. Most of the protesters were released late in the day on Monday, many with a court appearance on April 17, 2007. 5 arrestees who were held overnight were arraigned early the next day.

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UCF SDS protests for Free Expression (Photo: Kyle Fasanella)

Orlando, FL - March 12, 2007. At 12:30 pm on Tuesday, March 6th, members of SDS at the University of Central Florida (UCF) gathered on the so-called “free speech lawn” outside the Health & Physics building. Several speakers assailed the University’s policy banning campus-wide free expression, linking the repression to the U.S. military-corporate dominance in Iraq and to the late 1960s when UCF was created and the architecture was designed to contain and control campus protests.

Caution tape was put up around the “free speech lawn,” indicating those engaging in Constitutionally-protected speech and assembly outside that perimeter had better watch out for a renegade administration that has no respect for civil liberties or human rights.

Students gagged themselves with the caution tape to ensure they wouldn’t engage in free speech once outside the lawn. A six-foot cardboard cut-out of the Statue of Liberty led the procession off the lawn, and her mouth was also gagged. Students carried signs reading “abolish the free expression zones” and “What do we want? Freedom! When Do We Want It? Now!”

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Meaghan Linick of Pace SDS is arrested (Photo: Thomas Good)

New York, NY - March 13, 2007. Approximately 100 students, all members of SDS New York, occupied an Armed Forces Recruiting Center for two hours on Monday, March 12. The occupation ended when 20 students were arrested by the NYPD. The students were charged with criminal trespass. The nonviolent protest kicked off what promises to be a long, hot week of antiwar action as the fourth anniversary of the War On Iraq approaches. Uruj Sheikh, an activist with Pace (University) SDS said, “The fourth anniversary of the occupation of Iraq is in one week. Billions of dollars are being spent and hundreds of thousands have been murdered. Military recruitment has been systematically deceptive and we as students, as targets of recruitment, say something must be done to stop the war aboard and at home.”

At approximately 11:15 on Monday, March 12, 2007, a large contingent of New School SDS stepped off from the New School Graduate Center (65 Fifth Avenue) heading south. The column zig zagged through lower Manhattan, arriving at Chambers and West Broadway around 11:45 - where they connected with another march, this one originating from Pace University. The two columns streamed west on Chambers and entered the recruiting center which 25 students occupied for about two hours. Recruiters in the facility slammed and locked the doors to their respective offices, apparently to avoid interaction with the students - effectively closing the center for the duration of the occupation. Outside, dozens more protesters supported those risking arrest with chants including, “Troops out now,” “No justice, no peace. U.S. out of the Middle East,” and “Stop the war, yes we can. SDS is back again.”

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Pittsburgh, PA - March 2, 2007 On Friday, March 2, Pittsburgh Organizing Group (POG) and supporters set out to shut down the National Robotics Engineering Center (NREC), a largely Pentagon-funded venture of Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) that has become a world leader in warfare robotics. The action succeeded beyond the organizers’ expectations.

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Protesters prepare for Civil Disobedience (YouTube)

Tacoma, WA - March 12, 2007. Tacoma SDS took part in a civil disobedience this past Sunday (March 11) in response to the police riot that occurred on Friday, March 9. On that Friday, protesters were nonviolently demonstrating when police attacked the activists - with rubber bullets and tear gas. Protesters were tear-gassed several times without provocation: No barricades were thrown, despite police claims. Some of the victims of the police riot were arrested and charged with assault - adding insult to injury. Independent filmmakers in Tacoma captured much of this on tape.

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Jamie McCallum and Daniel McGowan at the Left Forum (Photo: Thomas Good)

New York, NY - March 12, 2007. This year’s Left Forum ran from March 9 through the 11th and had a number of very strong panels. SDSers participated in three: “What’s Missing In The Student Movement”, “Parecon and Movement Building” and “Student Activism Today: SDS Revived”. In addition a number of MDSers were also on panels. NLN was there - attending the student panels and taking snapshots of some old friends who stopped at the SDS table.

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When I arrived at Fayetteville Square around 1 PM, the sky was overcast and the wind was still a little chilly and annoying. Music was already playing from the big speakers on the soundstage, and pretty soon my feet were tapping to Neil Young and I forgot all about the possibility of rain.

“It’s gonna be great,” I told myself.

And sure enough, no sooner were our marchers entering the Square shortly after 2 PM, did the clouds began to part, and the sun began to shine through! By the time everyone flooded into the Square and got settled in place, and the first speakers were up, it was downright hot and people were all sweating and taking off their coats. It was a BEAUTIFUL day for a Peace Rally!!!

Unfortunately, my good digital camera gave up the ghost a few weeks back, so I had to use a cheap camera for today’s shots, but all in all, I managed to get a few acceptable photos out of it. So here they are:

Marchers just starting to enter the Square

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