Medea Benjamin’s 20 years of experience in international activist organizing has made her one of the most recognizable leaders of the anti-war movement (and an “Anti-American” target for right-wingers). Benjamin received an infamous reputation in the mainstream media when she protested the Iraq War by interrupting the speeches of President Bush, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and others. Refusing to allow her advocacy for peace to be confined to “free-speech zones,” Benjamin’s direct approach has inspired women from around the world to raise their collective voices in protest.
In 2002, Benjamin and several other co-founders of CODEPINK, a women-initiated grassroots organization, called on “mothers, grandmothers, sisters, and daughters, on workers, students, teachers, healers, artists, writers, singers, poets and every ordinary outraged woman willing to be outrageous for peace.” The group has been an important component of a movement that continues to grow.
Along with countless protests in the states, CODEPINK has organized women internationally. A delegation of 15 women traveled to Iraq to forge relationships and understanding with Iraqi women, whose stories are being shared across the United States. The accomplishments of CODEPINK, including the distribution of over $600,000 in aid to Iraq, continue to initiate peacemaking coalitions in Iran, Italy, Turkey, Great Britain, Thailand, Brazil and Venezuela.
Benjamin recently teamed up with Jodie Evans to edit a book entitled “Stop the Next War Now,” which features essays by a diverse group of women who offer criticism, insight and reflections about international violence and terrorism.
Benjamin’s work for peace has received international recognition. In 2005, Benjamin was nominated alongside 1,000 women from 140 countries to collectively receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
Benjamin is also the Founding Director of the non-governmental organization (NGO) Global Exchange, which aspires to create awareness about the relationship between international injustice and corporate globalization. Campaigns include increasing economic fair-trade and environmental advocacy, ending US occupation of Iraq, and increasing partnership among other NGOs.•
Kelsey is a staff reporter for The InterActivist.
Showing posts with label antiwar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label antiwar. Show all posts
Feb 19, 2008
AAWC continues to foster local activism
by Emily Hanlon
After organizing the largest local demonstration against the Bush administration and the Iraq war this past November 2nd, the Athens Anti-War Coalition (AAWC) is preparing winter quarter to work further on the ongoing effort across the country to end the war. Formerly named the Athens Can’t Wait Coalition, the group changed names after completely breaking ties with the national office of the World Can’t Wait. The name change and broken ties have done little to change the dynamic of the grassroots activist group, as they continue to function locally and govern themselves democratically. “Even when we were affiliated with the World Can’t Wait we were independent and carried out our own things not associated with the national office,” said coalition member Damon Krane.
An important strategy to end the war being utilized by the AAWC is counter-recruitment; the main purpose of the demonstration that occurred November 2nd. By disrupting local recruitment centers the enlistment numbers go down, thus making it more and more difficult to keep the war in Iraq going.
This strategy has become of interest to the Department of Defense, which has been surveying local anti-war movements across the country over the past year. NBC news leaked a report compiled by the Department of Defense, and among the names in the body of the report was AAWC member, Will Klatt. Given the broadness of the report, the coalition has reason to believe that their actions have been under surveillance. The AAWC sent out a press release January 9th stating, “The Defense Department’s focus on counter recruitment efforts confirms the very real threat our activism poses to the Bush administration’s illegal war on Iraq.”
Along with Interact, the AAWC plans to bring the Pittsburgh Organizing Group to Athens for a presentation on the Counter-Recruitment movement. POG came to Athens on October 19th, covering campaign development, media relations, interactions with recruiters and legal defense. The AAWC plans to meet with parents sympathetic with the coalition’s desire to provide other options to high school students who are considering enlisting. The AAWC also may be involved in organizing a protest March 19th, the two-year anniversary of the war in Iraq. Nationwide protests and demonstrations are being orchestrated by United for Peace and Justice, a coalition of more than 1,300 local and national groups across the country. A website for the AAWC is currently being constructed that will include past projects, coverage of November 2nd, and contact information. Those interested in becoming involved with future projects can contact the group at athensantiwar@hotmail.com.
After organizing the largest local demonstration against the Bush administration and the Iraq war this past November 2nd, the Athens Anti-War Coalition (AAWC) is preparing winter quarter to work further on the ongoing effort across the country to end the war. Formerly named the Athens Can’t Wait Coalition, the group changed names after completely breaking ties with the national office of the World Can’t Wait. The name change and broken ties have done little to change the dynamic of the grassroots activist group, as they continue to function locally and govern themselves democratically. “Even when we were affiliated with the World Can’t Wait we were independent and carried out our own things not associated with the national office,” said coalition member Damon Krane.
An important strategy to end the war being utilized by the AAWC is counter-recruitment; the main purpose of the demonstration that occurred November 2nd. By disrupting local recruitment centers the enlistment numbers go down, thus making it more and more difficult to keep the war in Iraq going.
This strategy has become of interest to the Department of Defense, which has been surveying local anti-war movements across the country over the past year. NBC news leaked a report compiled by the Department of Defense, and among the names in the body of the report was AAWC member, Will Klatt. Given the broadness of the report, the coalition has reason to believe that their actions have been under surveillance. The AAWC sent out a press release January 9th stating, “The Defense Department’s focus on counter recruitment efforts confirms the very real threat our activism poses to the Bush administration’s illegal war on Iraq.”
Along with Interact, the AAWC plans to bring the Pittsburgh Organizing Group to Athens for a presentation on the Counter-Recruitment movement. POG came to Athens on October 19th, covering campaign development, media relations, interactions with recruiters and legal defense. The AAWC plans to meet with parents sympathetic with the coalition’s desire to provide other options to high school students who are considering enlisting. The AAWC also may be involved in organizing a protest March 19th, the two-year anniversary of the war in Iraq. Nationwide protests and demonstrations are being orchestrated by United for Peace and Justice, a coalition of more than 1,300 local and national groups across the country. A website for the AAWC is currently being constructed that will include past projects, coverage of November 2nd, and contact information. Those interested in becoming involved with future projects can contact the group at athensantiwar@hotmail.com.
by Chelsea Baker
Lance Cpl. Andrew W. Nowacki, 24, S. Euclid Ohio… PFC Christopher R. Dixon, 18, Obertz, Ohio… Staff Sgt. Sean G. Laundrus, 31, Thompson, Ohio… These are just a few of the names of deceased Ohio soldiers that were part of the Eyes Wide Open: Ohio (EWOO) exhibit that came to Athens on this year’s homecoming weekend, October 21 and 22.
EWOO, which was brought to Athens by The Appalachian Peace and Justice Network (APJN) and People for Peace and Justice (PPJ), was originally intended to occupy the Howard Hall site, where it would have been in prime view amidst all the homecoming festivities, but was unfortunately forced into the Baker 1804 lounge due to weather.
Upon entering the exhibit, viewers were met with row upon row of empty military combat boots (96 total), each affixed with the name, age, and Ohio town of the fallen occupant they honor. An additional pile of civilian shoes were present to mourn the over 100,000 innocent Iraqi citizens killed during the war. A map of Ohio honored the wounded soldiers with red poppies, and a station was set up to make cards of encouragement and thanks to be sent to those still in active duty. A large sign outside of Baker Center marked to most recent death toll of the war at a total of 1,992 U.S. soldiers on the first day the display was here. The total has since surpassed 2000 and continues to rise almost daily.
EWOO is a smaller version of the American Friends and Service Committee’s nationally acclaimed exhibit, Eyes Wide Open, which began touring nationally in March 2004 and has been seen by over 400,000 people thus far, is intended to serve as a tangible memorial of the human cost of the war in Iraq. Ohio is currently the pilot project for the statewide displays, with the focus being on more rural areas that could not otherwise afford to bring the entire U.S. display.
Literature handed out at the exhibit explained that the display is not intended to be a political statement, but rather a peaceful way to provide “a human face (of both Ohioans and Iraqis) of the impact of the war and occupation”. One local volunteer, Trisha Lachman, said that her group felt, when deciding to bring EWOO to Athens, that it “seemed like an exhibit people could interact with.”
Development and Program Coordinator of APJN, Christie Truly, said that she saw no adverse reactions to the display, but did witness one woman’s emotional response upon encountering a familiar name from her home town on one of the boots.
In a notebook provided for responses to EWOO, one Athens observer wrote, “Even though I consider myself an educated person about the issues of this war, no videos, stories, or photos have hit me as hard as this exhibit. It is devastating, but also empowering.” Another wrote, “Such a shame…some of these guys are younger than me.”
Lance Cpl. Andrew W. Nowacki, 24, S. Euclid Ohio… PFC Christopher R. Dixon, 18, Obertz, Ohio… Staff Sgt. Sean G. Laundrus, 31, Thompson, Ohio… These are just a few of the names of deceased Ohio soldiers that were part of the Eyes Wide Open: Ohio (EWOO) exhibit that came to Athens on this year’s homecoming weekend, October 21 and 22.
EWOO, which was brought to Athens by The Appalachian Peace and Justice Network (APJN) and People for Peace and Justice (PPJ), was originally intended to occupy the Howard Hall site, where it would have been in prime view amidst all the homecoming festivities, but was unfortunately forced into the Baker 1804 lounge due to weather.
Upon entering the exhibit, viewers were met with row upon row of empty military combat boots (96 total), each affixed with the name, age, and Ohio town of the fallen occupant they honor. An additional pile of civilian shoes were present to mourn the over 100,000 innocent Iraqi citizens killed during the war. A map of Ohio honored the wounded soldiers with red poppies, and a station was set up to make cards of encouragement and thanks to be sent to those still in active duty. A large sign outside of Baker Center marked to most recent death toll of the war at a total of 1,992 U.S. soldiers on the first day the display was here. The total has since surpassed 2000 and continues to rise almost daily.
EWOO is a smaller version of the American Friends and Service Committee’s nationally acclaimed exhibit, Eyes Wide Open, which began touring nationally in March 2004 and has been seen by over 400,000 people thus far, is intended to serve as a tangible memorial of the human cost of the war in Iraq. Ohio is currently the pilot project for the statewide displays, with the focus being on more rural areas that could not otherwise afford to bring the entire U.S. display.
Literature handed out at the exhibit explained that the display is not intended to be a political statement, but rather a peaceful way to provide “a human face (of both Ohioans and Iraqis) of the impact of the war and occupation”. One local volunteer, Trisha Lachman, said that her group felt, when deciding to bring EWOO to Athens, that it “seemed like an exhibit people could interact with.”
Development and Program Coordinator of APJN, Christie Truly, said that she saw no adverse reactions to the display, but did witness one woman’s emotional response upon encountering a familiar name from her home town on one of the boots.
In a notebook provided for responses to EWOO, one Athens observer wrote, “Even though I consider myself an educated person about the issues of this war, no videos, stories, or photos have hit me as hard as this exhibit. It is devastating, but also empowering.” Another wrote, “Such a shame…some of these guys are younger than me.”
Anti-War Movement Takes New Direction
by Danny Burridge
On Wednesday October 19, a delegation from the Pittsburgh Organizing Group (POG) came to Athens to give a presentation about the group’s campaign against military recruitment, which has achieved remarkable success in Pittsburgh over the past six months.
The event was sponsored by local progressive groups Positive Action, InterAct and the Athens Can’t Wait Coalition. The groups hoped the presentation would spark interest in, and give guidance to the counter recruitment campaign, which will be starting in Athens on November 2 in conjunction with the nationwide “World Can’t Wait: Drive Out the Bush Regime” movement.
Damon Krane, who coordinated POG’s visit for InterAct, explained: “InterAct is always trying to network with progressive activists from around the region. I’m originally from Pittsburgh. My brother Justin is a member of POG. So we’ve been following POG’s efforts for a while now. We were very impressed with what we saw in Pittsburgh and decided Athens activists could learn some valuable lessons from POG’s counter recruitment campaign.”
About 50 Ohio University students and Athens community members attended the presentation. It was followed by a lively discussion amongst all participants about the prospective obstacles and achievements of the Counter Recruitment Movement.
POG is a democratically governed group which promotes systemic change as a vehicle towards affecting economic and political justice in a global context. It was represented at this presentation by mem
bers: Alex Bradley, Marie Skoczylas, De’Anna Caliguiri, Justin Krane, and David Meieran.
POG has been involved in many anti-war actions, but in the past six months, it has concentrated its anti-war efforts on counter recruitment. This has entailed picketing in front of Pittsburgh military recruiting centers and actually shutting them down, thereby physically impeding U.S. citizens from being recruited.
During the pre sentation, the POG representatives provided the back-
ground and rationale behind the growing nationwide counter recruitment movement, as well as the impressive successes, harsh brutalities, and information war that has accompanied the specific counter recruitment campaign that POG has enacted in Pittsburgh.
In regard to the rationale of counter recruitment, De’Anna Caligiuri said, “Counter Recruitment is a way to be direct. I was tired of just holding a sign and crossing my fingers, hoping that things would change. Counter recruitment localizes the war issue, and actually limits recruiters’ access to students. If everyone participates in getting recruitment to stop, the movement will be effective.”
Throughout the night, POG representatives reiterated the idea that counter recruitment is a tangible way to combat the war. As Alex Bradley stated, “If the military cannot recruit new soldiers, the U.S. government cannot continue its war-based foreign policy.”
The military has missed its recruiting quota for 2005 by 25,000 soldiers, and according to the POG representatives, this shows that counter recruitment campaigns have already been a successful deterrent to the war effort.
Pittsburgh organizers also said that the effectiveness of counter recruitment can be clearly seen in the brutality, repression, and information manipulation that it has been met with as it becomes more influential and visible.
POG feels that anti-war activists that just hold signs, chant, and resign themselves to designated areas are too easily marginalized and ignored by police and policy makers. Counter recruitment activists, on the other hand, have unfortunately become the target of deplorable acts of police repression.
POG has had first hand experience with this.
On August 20, 2005 POG led a march down a main Pittsburgh street which culminated in a protest in front of the Pittsburgh military recruitment center. The center had already been closed down in anticipation of the protest.
Various cameramen, and other media representatives were on the scene, and one cameraman (later revealed to be employed by Fox News), accused a protester of hitting him. Police officers tried to arrest the alleged assailant, but he resisted and a violent scuffle ensued. This resulted in numerous arrests and the use of Taser stun-guns on two protesters. One was Caligiuri, who was Tased for an appalling 14 seconds. This barbaric scene was captured on camera by Athens filmmaker and activist, Roger Hill. Later that day, a sixty-eight year old woman was bitten by a police dog when police demanded that the sidewalk in front of the recruiting center be cleared.
Unfortunately, Caligiuri’s story and that of other Pittsburg activists is not unique. Counter recruitment activists all over the country have felt the heavy arm of the law coming down on them.
On September 29, 2005 at Holyoke Community College in Massachusetts, Charles Peterson, the Vice President of the college’s student senate and an outspoken war critic, was peppered sprayed and kicked off the campus for allegedly “grabbing and bruising an officer’s arm.” He was subsequently allowed to return to campus amid large student protests.
On the same day at George Mason University, a former Air Force pilot and current student at the university, Tarik Khan, was brutally assaulted by a police officer and a university assistant. Khan was tackled, put in a chokehold, and possibly subjected to other violence simply for standing next to a recruiting table with a sign taped to his shirt which said: “Recruiters lie; Don’t be deceived.” He is currently facing criminal charges.
Counter recruitment efforts have also been the object of what David Meieran called “information warfare.” He gave many examples in written publications and television news coverage which showed a distinct bias against counter recruitment activists. Meieran showed one news clip from a Pittsburgh network that focused on the plight of Samuel Muoio, the police officer who used his Taser stun-gun on Caligiuri. Muoio said he feared for the lives of himself and his family because his name and address had been posted to an online independent news outlet (Pittsburgh Indy Media www.pittsburgh.indymedia.org). No heed was paid to the violent and unwarranted act he had committed which had garnered him such attention.
POG representatives also stated that the counter recruitment campaign is not just about direct action, but educational efforts as well. They provide potential recruits, such as high school students, with information regarding the harsh realities of military enlistment. On their flyers, POG states that only 35% of soldiers get any GI bill money, and only 15% of soldiers actually receive a college degree. Especially frightening is the fact that 75% of women who join the military are subjected to sexual harassment. Also, there is a caveat attached to enlistment papers that states that the government does not have to follow up on any promises made by recruiters to enlistees.
The response by attendants to the POG presentation was very positive. Freshman Emily Hanlon said, “It was really inspiring to see so many people actually affecting change through counter recruitment. I protested in Washington D.C., but that was symbolic. This is direct action.” Lizzy Sullivan, also a freshman, echoed the same sentiments. When asked if she would participate in the counter recruitment efforts in Athens on November 2 she responded, “Definitely. I want to be involved with this movement. It is very important.”
Two weeks after POG’s presentation, the Athens Can’t Wait Coalition launched its local counter recruitment campaign with a march from OU’s College Green, down Court Street, to the Athen’s recruitment center at 25 Grosvenor St. With roughly 200 participants, the demonstration was the largest anti-war rally since the US invaded Iraq on March 19, 2003.
The atmosphere was electric as the march reached the center. A lone counter-protestor, Athens resident Monika Gasztonyi, awaited the group’s arrival. Gasztonyi physically barred the door of the recruitment center, waved the U.S. flag, and held signs that said such things as “U.S. Military: Duty, Honor, Country: You? Selfish SWINE.”
The protestors were not deterred. They formed a semi-circle around the recruitment center chanting slogans such as “Shut it down No recruiters in our town.”
Numerous people spoke, among them Associate Professor of Cultural Studies in Education at OU Jaylynne Hutchinson, former OU professor and World War II and Korean War veteran Chuck Overby, and peace activist Peggy Gish, who has spent much of the past three years working in Iraq.
The recruiting center itself did not shut down, but protestors certainly made enough commotion over the course of the two hour protest to keep the office from doing much recruiting. The event has also created a strong buzz in the Athens media about counter recruitment and the Athens Can’t Wait Coalition.
Jordan Rogoff, the liaison between Athens and the national office of World Can’t Wait said: “The Athens Can’t Wait Coalition is committed to opposing the Bush Regime, and counter recruitment efforts are a way to do that on the ground level. Counter recruitment will be one of our major focuses in the months to come.”
On Wednesday October 19, a delegation from the Pittsburgh Organizing Group (POG) came to Athens to give a presentation about the group’s campaign against military recruitment, which has achieved remarkable success in Pittsburgh over the past six months.
The event was sponsored by local progressive groups Positive Action, InterAct and the Athens Can’t Wait Coalition. The groups hoped the presentation would spark interest in, and give guidance to the counter recruitment campaign, which will be starting in Athens on November 2 in conjunction with the nationwide “World Can’t Wait: Drive Out the Bush Regime” movement.
Damon Krane, who coordinated POG’s visit for InterAct, explained: “InterAct is always trying to network with progressive activists from around the region. I’m originally from Pittsburgh. My brother Justin is a member of POG. So we’ve been following POG’s efforts for a while now. We were very impressed with what we saw in Pittsburgh and decided Athens activists could learn some valuable lessons from POG’s counter recruitment campaign.”
About 50 Ohio University students and Athens community members attended the presentation. It was followed by a lively discussion amongst all participants about the prospective obstacles and achievements of the Counter Recruitment Movement.
POG is a democratically governed group which promotes systemic change as a vehicle towards affecting economic and political justice in a global context. It was represented at this presentation by mem
bers: Alex Bradley, Marie Skoczylas, De’Anna Caliguiri, Justin Krane, and David Meieran.POG has been involved in many anti-war actions, but in the past six months, it has concentrated its anti-war efforts on counter recruitment. This has entailed picketing in front of Pittsburgh military recruiting centers and actually shutting them down, thereby physically impeding U.S. citizens from being recruited.
During the pre sentation, the POG representatives provided the back-
ground and rationale behind the growing nationwide counter recruitment movement, as well as the impressive successes, harsh brutalities, and information war that has accompanied the specific counter recruitment campaign that POG has enacted in Pittsburgh.
In regard to the rationale of counter recruitment, De’Anna Caligiuri said, “Counter Recruitment is a way to be direct. I was tired of just holding a sign and crossing my fingers, hoping that things would change. Counter recruitment localizes the war issue, and actually limits recruiters’ access to students. If everyone participates in getting recruitment to stop, the movement will be effective.”
Throughout the night, POG representatives reiterated the idea that counter recruitment is a tangible way to combat the war. As Alex Bradley stated, “If the military cannot recruit new soldiers, the U.S. government cannot continue its war-based foreign policy.”
The military has missed its recruiting quota for 2005 by 25,000 soldiers, and according to the POG representatives, this shows that counter recruitment campaigns have already been a successful deterrent to the war effort.
Pittsburgh organizers also said that the effectiveness of counter recruitment can be clearly seen in the brutality, repression, and information manipulation that it has been met with as it becomes more influential and visible.
POG feels that anti-war activists that just hold signs, chant, and resign themselves to designated areas are too easily marginalized and ignored by police and policy makers. Counter recruitment activists, on the other hand, have unfortunately become the target of deplorable acts of police repression.
POG has had first hand experience with this.
On August 20, 2005 POG led a march down a main Pittsburgh street which culminated in a protest in front of the Pittsburgh military recruitment center. The center had already been closed down in anticipation of the protest.
Various cameramen, and other media representatives were on the scene, and one cameraman (later revealed to be employed by Fox News), accused a protester of hitting him. Police officers tried to arrest the alleged assailant, but he resisted and a violent scuffle ensued. This resulted in numerous arrests and the use of Taser stun-guns on two protesters. One was Caligiuri, who was Tased for an appalling 14 seconds. This barbaric scene was captured on camera by Athens filmmaker and activist, Roger Hill. Later that day, a sixty-eight year old woman was bitten by a police dog when police demanded that the sidewalk in front of the recruiting center be cleared.
Unfortunately, Caligiuri’s story and that of other Pittsburg activists is not unique. Counter recruitment activists all over the country have felt the heavy arm of the law coming down on them.
On September 29, 2005 at Holyoke Community College in Massachusetts, Charles Peterson, the Vice President of the college’s student senate and an outspoken war critic, was peppered sprayed and kicked off the campus for allegedly “grabbing and bruising an officer’s arm.” He was subsequently allowed to return to campus amid large student protests.
On the same day at George Mason University, a former Air Force pilot and current student at the university, Tarik Khan, was brutally assaulted by a police officer and a university assistant. Khan was tackled, put in a chokehold, and possibly subjected to other violence simply for standing next to a recruiting table with a sign taped to his shirt which said: “Recruiters lie; Don’t be deceived.” He is currently facing criminal charges.
Counter recruitment efforts have also been the object of what David Meieran called “information warfare.” He gave many examples in written publications and television news coverage which showed a distinct bias against counter recruitment activists. Meieran showed one news clip from a Pittsburgh network that focused on the plight of Samuel Muoio, the police officer who used his Taser stun-gun on Caligiuri. Muoio said he feared for the lives of himself and his family because his name and address had been posted to an online independent news outlet (Pittsburgh Indy Media www.pittsburgh.indymedia.org). No heed was paid to the violent and unwarranted act he had committed which had garnered him such attention.
POG representatives also stated that the counter recruitment campaign is not just about direct action, but educational efforts as well. They provide potential recruits, such as high school students, with information regarding the harsh realities of military enlistment. On their flyers, POG states that only 35% of soldiers get any GI bill money, and only 15% of soldiers actually receive a college degree. Especially frightening is the fact that 75% of women who join the military are subjected to sexual harassment. Also, there is a caveat attached to enlistment papers that states that the government does not have to follow up on any promises made by recruiters to enlistees.
The response by attendants to the POG presentation was very positive. Freshman Emily Hanlon said, “It was really inspiring to see so many people actually affecting change through counter recruitment. I protested in Washington D.C., but that was symbolic. This is direct action.” Lizzy Sullivan, also a freshman, echoed the same sentiments. When asked if she would participate in the counter recruitment efforts in Athens on November 2 she responded, “Definitely. I want to be involved with this movement. It is very important.”
Two weeks after POG’s presentation, the Athens Can’t Wait Coalition launched its local counter recruitment campaign with a march from OU’s College Green, down Court Street, to the Athen’s recruitment center at 25 Grosvenor St. With roughly 200 participants, the demonstration was the largest anti-war rally since the US invaded Iraq on March 19, 2003.
The atmosphere was electric as the march reached the center. A lone counter-protestor, Athens resident Monika Gasztonyi, awaited the group’s arrival. Gasztonyi physically barred the door of the recruitment center, waved the U.S. flag, and held signs that said such things as “U.S. Military: Duty, Honor, Country: You? Selfish SWINE.”
The protestors were not deterred. They formed a semi-circle around the recruitment center chanting slogans such as “Shut it down No recruiters in our town.”
Numerous people spoke, among them Associate Professor of Cultural Studies in Education at OU Jaylynne Hutchinson, former OU professor and World War II and Korean War veteran Chuck Overby, and peace activist Peggy Gish, who has spent much of the past three years working in Iraq.
The recruiting center itself did not shut down, but protestors certainly made enough commotion over the course of the two hour protest to keep the office from doing much recruiting. The event has also created a strong buzz in the Athens media about counter recruitment and the Athens Can’t Wait Coalition.
Jordan Rogoff, the liaison between Athens and the national office of World Can’t Wait said: “The Athens Can’t Wait Coalition is committed to opposing the Bush Regime, and counter recruitment efforts are a way to do that on the ground level. Counter recruitment will be one of our major focuses in the months to come.”
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