Jocelyn Blake | 15.10.2005 13:51

The Campus Anti-war Network at San Diego State protested military recruiters on October 13th and refused to back down in the face of police intimidation.

Military recruiters occupied San Diego State University for three days this week. They put on an extravagant display with hummers, war simulation games, a rock climbing wall, and even propelled off of buildings and parachuted out of aircrafts. All of this was an attempt to project an image of the military as a hub of adventure and excitement. Our protest showed up to expose the reality of life in the military: war, discrimination, sexual harassment and unfulfilled promises of opportunity. 10 activists from the Campus Anti-war Network (CAN) and the International Socialist Organization surrounded the recruiters during one of their propelling stunts and demanded that the military leave our campus.

Military recruiters occupied San Diego State University for three days
this week. They put on an extravagant display with hummers, war
simulation games, a rock climbing wall, and even propelled off of
buildings and parachuted out of aircrafts. All of this was an attempt
to project an image of the military as a hub of adventure and
excitement. Our protest showed up to expose the reality of life in
the military: war, discrimination, sexual harassment and unfulfilled
promises of opportunity. 10 activists from the Campus Anti-war
Network (CAN) and the International Socialist Organization surrounded
the recruiters during one of their propelling stunts and demanded that
the military leave our campus.

Within minutes, campus security showed up and tried to shut down the
protest through intimidation. We refused to leave and they became
even more aggressive in their attempts to silence us. We told them
that we know our rights and that it is against CSU policy to confine
free speech on campus to a designated "free speech zone."

As the confrontation escalated, a group of bystanders grew. Several
of them joined the protest against the recruiters and defended our
free-speech. Even the dean and assistant dean of the university left
their offices and came to our defense. Finally, after failing at all
of their intimidation tactics, the campus police left in frustration.

We continued to protest the recruiters with no further interference.
We made it clear that we are unwilling to relinquish our right to free
speech and that we will continue to oppose any military presence on
our campus.

During the protest not a single person stopped to talk to a military
recruiter. At the same time, CAN was able to connect with dozens more
students that want to make the anti-war majority known at SDSU.

Find out how you can get involved in this dynamic anti-war coalition
by coming to our weekly meetings on Wednesdays from 6:30-7:30 at the
Scripps Cottage Patio at SDSU.

e-mail:: jablake@gmail.com

Congratulations 16.10.2005 15:53 Wonderful! And nice to hear that the school authorities came to your defense and other students joined in - good for you!!! Kashmir bravo 16.10.2005 16:25 Thank you for taking a stand against this insane militarist gangsterism. One of the really really weird things that never ceases to puzzle and amaze me is: How is it that these armed gangs are able to get away with attacking and intimidating people under color of authority? Who the hell appointed them, and how is it that they seem to have formed a state-within-a-state right under our noses? These groups we call "police" are not enforcing laws we or our own popularly chosen representatives ever agreed to. Even if you live in the most progressive city in this country, and have a mayor and city council who actively support progressive causes like worker safety and worker rights, protecting the environment, etc, it doesn't matter. You will never find "the cops" whose salaries we are forced to pay, supposedly to enforce "the law," putting the cuffs on corporate polluters. You will never see them frogmarching bosses to jail for presiding over unsafe workplaces, or arresting pharmaceutical executives for killing thousands of people with dangerous and defective drugs. You will never see them making good on arrest warrants for war criminals who come to speak in public places. No. Instead, they are always available for attacking ordinary citizens, quelling and intimidating those of us who demand that the laws be enforced, macing and pepperspraying those of us who call for meting out justice to the war criminals and corporate looters. Suppressing those of us who object to international gangsters trying to recruit our children as footsoldiers for their cruise-missile-backed armed robbery overseas. In such times of lawlessness, it falls on the ordinary citizen to stand up against the gangsters, and denounce the private armies they have taken control of to protect them and do their bidding. And tell them that "NO," we will not let them take one more of our kids to corrupt and use as their cannonfodder. antifa Take pictures next time 16.10.2005 17:35 Thanks for standing up to the war recruiters. They need to be confronted whenever they show up on college or high school campuses. Next time take some pictures, as I'm sure I'm not the only one who would love to see the looks on these recruiters faces! dan definitely pictures and more actions 16.10.2005 18:13 Pictures are always great for your protection and so we can see what works well about the action. Recruiters are on campus all the time, we shouldn't have to wait until they begin military drills on campus. That just means we waited too long to start acting. I hope I can make it to a future action. Bob oh yeah, and that's just what we all want 16.10.2005 23:20 more money from the military for military research on campus! yeah, that's what we all want, is for the military to completely run our educations! don't you people have any fucking integrity? ever heard of it? we don't want military money any more than we want the military on campus. sd@narchist Its comforting to know 18.10.2005 09:42 Thank goodness that the students know the difference between being informed and educated rather than having just enough knowledge on how to break things, kill other people, and clean rifles. RESISTANCE IS THEREFORE N O T FUTILE ! Ben queer kiss in 19.10.2005 22:19 Check at the anti-recruiter queer kiss in  http://www.santacruz.indymedia.org/ woohoo Some photos of the event 01.11.2005 07:00 ... ..