WWU Red Square Iraq Occupation Protest

[kevyn]

Thursday morning, a mass die-in was held in Red Square here at WWU to protest the occupation of Iraq. I participated, my first ever demonstration in Red Square. The sign I held read "655,000 Iraqis DEAD. (Source: Lancet Report)"

I have no illusions that my participation in this demonstration will change any politicians' minds. Most of them will never know about it. This was for the students, faculty, and staff - to show how large the numbers of people who oppose this war are. And to encourage further protest.

I'm glad I participated, even if it was only symbolic.

Here's the newspaper article (no I don't appear in it):

From The Western Front
Front Page, Friday, Nov. 17, 2006
Western Washington University
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More than 200 demonstrators participate in 'Die-in'
G.S. Raugust THE WESTERN FRONT

Photo caption: (Above) From bandannas to biohazard bags, protesters dress themselves in red and lie down in Red Square at approximately 11:50 a.m. Silence fills the air as spectators stop and observe the demonstration.
Photos by Mark Malijan THE WESTERN FRONT

On Thursday afternoon a brisk autumn breeze rippled across the puddles in Red Square as approximately 200 Western students and faculty, along with Bellingham community members, lay down on the bricks and soggy leaves "playing dead" for five minutes to draw attention to the mounting body· count in Iraq since the United States occupation.

With U.S. casualties approaching 3,000 and the Iraqi death toll even higher, the war in Iraq is a topic of major contention in U.S. politics.

"The die-in is a visual demonstration," said Western junior Carla Neilsen, whose world issues class helped organize the event. "We want to give students' on campus a chance to do something to participate and to show their dissent - this is simple and very powerful."

As the protesters lay on the ground, a few' students on their way across campus stepped around them while talking on cell phones. Some students didn't seem to know what to think about the group of

protesters laying in the center of campus in red trash bags, worn to symbolize blood.

"I know it is a protest against the Iraq War, but I don't know what they hope to accomplish by lying down with red trash bags in Red Square," Western junior Sarah Carter. said. "If they're truly against it, I don't think this is the way to make a change." A protest such as this in front of the state capitol, where political leaders could see it, would be more effective, Carter said.

Protest organizers wanted to give students on campus a chance to participate in the national debate and to get together with local peace organizations such as the Whatcom Peace and Justice Center to find resources to deal with their feelings about the war, Neilsen said.

"If everyone around the country on all the college campuses did something like this, there might be some change in our government's policy," said Western freshman Alex Williamson, a member of Western's chapter Students for a Democratic Society, who said he's been involved with anti-war activism for more than five years.

Williamson held a sign that read three people from his hometown had been killed in the war. Even if someone doesn't know a person from their area who died, it still makes the war harder to ignore, Williamson said.

"It hits home when you've actually met someone who has died for something there's no point to," Williamson said.

There was a solemn tone in the air as passers-by observed the prone bodies. After live minutes were up, a whistle blew and the protesters stood and formed a circle around Fisher Fountain holding hands.

, Their chant of "No more death. No more war" echoed off the buildings surrounding the square.

The protest was meant to be shocking, but the organizers didn't want to divide the anti-war movement by being too horrific, said Western senior Kate Gould, member of Western Against War, which also participated in organizing the event.

"I don't expect that everyone will agree with the die-in on all the million sides of the issue," Gould said. "But the last thing we want is to scare people off from thinking . about these issues."

Because it is an emotional issue, Western's counseling center provided a neutral professional to talk with anyone who felt overwhelmed by emotions from the protest.

"If this is a trigger for anyone, we want to be there for them to process their emotional response," . said participating counseling center psychologist Deena Rathkamp.

Some onlookers sat on benches eating and watching the protesters. Others joked with their friends and chatted about the protest. There were almost as many observers in Red Square as participants in the die-in.

"The more people that sec it is OK to be a part of a movement, the less resistance to taking action there will be," said Bellingham citizen and protest participant Brad Grower. "That's why I'm here."

As the protest ended, Red Square returned to its usual state and most people went back to the business of their day.