Two Articles in Today's 'Pipe Dream' About Protest

Administration says no judicial proceedings for Parkway protesters

"Students arrested in the Vestal Parkway protest will not have to face judicial charges from the University, after a meeting between students, administrators and the Graduate Student Organization last week settled the matter through a discussion." (read more)

Common sense prevails

"In the weeks following the March 18 anti-war protest on Vestal Parkway, the rally began to stand for more than just the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq. Professors and graduate students took up the cause and supported the protesters — rightly or wrongly — as emblems of free speech, student power and the return of collegiate activism. But while the nine protesters (eight of them students) faced the law of Broome County, the University’s judicial board was mounting its case against them as well." (read more)

Thoughts on Solidarity @ Pre-Trial Conference

As the pre-trial conference on May 6th is approaching, many of us are questioning whether or not to call out for a show of solidarity at the court house.

One the one hand, it's important to constantly demonstrate to the authorities that folks do have our backs and won't stand for police brutality and the smashing of dissent. However, it's not going to be a public hearing; our lawyer meets privately with the assistant DA, who will presumably make some kind of offer.

What do you think? Call out for solidarity? Or wait for a more important court date?

Post responses!

May 6: Pre-Trial Conference

All 9 of the defendants are being summoned to Vestal Town Court for a pre-trial conference with the office of the District Attorney on Tuesday, May 6th.

We'll know a lot more that evening about the DA's plans; is he going to play "hard-ball" and stick up for his friends in Blue, or look at the overwhelming evidence of excessive police force and drop these frivolous charges?

Only time will tell.

In the meantime, it's important to keep pressure on the DA's office to investigate the claims of excessive force being levied against the Vestal Police. The DA's contact info is posted here: http://www.gobroomecounty.com/da/

Tell him to take police brutality seriously and investigate thoroughly the accusations of undue force.

Solidarity...

Open Letter to the University Community

Open letter to the University community:

On March 18, University members held a peaceful demonstration on campus on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Their point: that the Iraq war, which has now entered its sixth year, has been based from the start on blatant lies, is conducted in violation of international laws, and has made the United States an international pariah.

In an act of non-violent civil disobedience, a group of demonstrators continued the on-campus rally by marching down Vestal Parkway. They carried signs and banners that sought to raise awareness of the tens of thousands of unnecessary deaths that have devastated thousands of families both here and in Iraq and the hundreds of billions of dollars wasted in this war, draining resources from our universities, schools, cities, and general infrastructure. The march was brutally broken up by the police, who arrested eight students and one alumna of Binghamton University.

As university faculty our mission is not only to teach students professional skills but also to prepare them as responsible citizens to engage critically with the social, economic, political, and moral conditions of the world in which we live. The courage and commitment of the students who undertook this action in support of peace and an end to an illegal war deserves our full support. The University Judicial Affairs Office is, however, considering whether to bring charges against the students under the Student Code of Conduct. This action sends a chilling message to all members of the University community: dissent by students will not be tolerated. As concerned citizens and members of the faculty, we call on the Judicial Affairs Office not to bring charges against these students. We also appeal to the administration, students and staff of the university to express their solidarity with the students and their cause.

Signed by professors:
Barbara Abou-El-Haj, Art History
Jeffner Allen, Philosophy
Bat-Ami Bar On, Philosophy
Reinhard Bernbeck, Anthropology
Herbert Bix, History and Sociology
Mark Blumler, Geography
Gisela Brink-Gabler, Comparative Literature
Virginia Brown, Political Science
David Cingranelli, Political Science
Marylinn Desmond, English
Aruna D’Souza, Art History
Thomas Dublin, History
Bonnie Effros, History
Deborah Elliston, Anthropology
Nergis Ertürk, Comparative Literature
Carmen Ferradas, Anthropology
Ross Geoghegan, Mathematical Sciences
Thomas Glave, English
Douglas Glick, Anthropology
William Haver, Comparative Literature
Gladys Jimenez-Munoz, CCPA Human Development
Wulf Kansteiner, History
Gerald Kutcher, History
Ingeborg Majer O’Sickey, German, Russian, and East Asian Languages
Florence Margai, Geography
Randall McGuire, Anthropology
Rosmarie Morewedge, German, Russian, and East Asian Languages
Martin Murray, Sociology
Ravi Arvind Palat, Sociology
Susan Pollock, Anthropology
Donald Quataert, History
Jean Quataert, History
Kelvin Santiago, Sociology
Mahua Sarkar, Sociology
Kathryn Kish Sklar, History
William Spanos, English
Ann Stahl, Anthropology
Lisa Tessman, Philosophy
Michael West, Sociology"

What You Can Do Right Now!

WHAT YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW

1. Join the informal network - Binghamton for Human Rights – at http://groups.google.com/group/BinghamtonforHumanRights

2. Send thoughtful, informed letters to the Press & Sun Bulletin, Pipe Dream, Free Press and your local television stations demanding fair and thoughtful coverage of Binghamton students and of the Anti-War movement.

3. Write to your campus representatives! Demand they take a stand with the administration; their only job is to represent YOU!

Graduate Student Organization President - president@gso-binghamton.o

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Student Association Director of Communication - doc@sa.binghamton.edu
Graduate Student Employees Union - mkhangseu@aol.com

4. Join the Anti-War community - attend weekly vigils at the federal building on Mondays (every Monday) from 4:30 to 5:30 PM at Corner of Henry & State Streets. Support war resisters within the military, visit http://www.ivaw.org. Support Labor Against the War, visit http://uslaboragainstwar.org/.

5. Demand the University cut ties with the war profiteers and the military-industrial complex. SUNY-Binghamton has a close relationship with Lockheed Martin in particular, the world's largest arms dealer.

5. Contact the Broome County District Attorney’s office - If you were present at the protest - you can file a complaint of "unreasonable force.” If you were not present at the rally you can offer support by demanding that a thorough investigation of police misconduct take place. 778-2423 or 800-836-0868

6. Ask YOUR PROFESSORS to support their STUDENTS!!!!

Opponents of Iraq War Hold Global Protests and Civil Disobedience

Police Attack Anti-War March in Vestal

By Joe Licentia

March 18^th-20^th – Protests and civil disobedience against the war in Iraq, including at least three demonstrations in the Binghamton area, were held across the world to commemorate the anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. In San Fransisco demonstrators shut down a regents meeting of the University of California and dozens of streets. Over 1500 students in the Portland area walked out of school in opposition to the war. In Milwaukee opponents of the war shut down a major intersection in the city's business district. Students for a Democratic Society organized protests and civil disobedience on over 90 campuses across the United States. Over 250 people worldwide were arrested as a result of anti-war actions.

The objective of these protests was not solely to show public opposition to the war but also to disrupt “business as usual.” By disrupting commerce and activities related to the war it increases the social costs of the war to the government and their corporate backers, both literally and by making it harder for the government to maintain control over the population. Public opinion has been against the war for several years but the war machine has ignored it. The only way to end the war is use disruptive tactics to force the government to withdraw from Iraq.

On Binghamton University the Binghamton Political Initiative and the Experimental Media Organization/Student Action Collective organized an anti-war march on March 18^th. The demonstration began at the fountain near library tower and ended with a series of speeches next to the new union. At the front of the march activists carried a large banner with the slogan, “From Stolen Native Land to Iraq, Occupation is Murder.” Roughly 150 people attended the rally.

At the end of the march between 60 and 80 demonstrators decided to perform civil disobedience by marching on Vestal Parkway, thereby increasing the costs of the war to the power elite by disrupting commerce. One of the speakers specifically stated that this second march was not sponsored by BPI or EMO/SAC. Some members of BPI and EMO/SAC did choose to participate in the march on Vestal Parkway, just as some members chose not to participate, but the march was not sponsored by either organization.

Marchers successfully blocked both eastbound lanes while marching from the university to Vestal Plaza. At no point did demonstrators attempt to block either of the westbound lanes. For most of the march police simply followed from behind and did not interfere with it. A significant portion of both rallies included opponents of the war from outside the university, including a contingent from Veterans for Peace.

At the end of the march, as demonstrators were leaving the streets and entering Vestal Plaza, the police chose to violently assault it. They began arresting people on an apparently random basis. Most of those arrested were already off the streets at the time of their arrest; several were manhandled and violently thrown to the ground. Demonstrators began chanting “shame on you” and other slogans, demanding the release of their comrades. A total of 9 people were arrested, including 4 graduate students, 4 undergraduates, and 1 non-student. None of those arrested were read their Miranda rights. One person specifically asked the police if he was going to be read his rights and was told, “what do you think this is, a movie?” Despite rumors to the contrary, none of the protesters assaulted police nor has anyone been charged with assaulting a police officer.

Police also used pepper spray indiscriminately on the crowd. One officer moved his pepper spray left and right while firing so as to maximize the number of demonstrators hit by it. Another officer pepper sprayed a demonstrator at point blank range while holding her in a headlock. One demonstrator was arrested while sitting on the ground attempting to recover from being pepper sprayed. When he asked why he was being arrested he was told, “because you were pepper sprayed” and then threatened with further pepper spray. The police refused to provide any of those pepper sprayed with medical attention until arriving at the police station.

There were two accidents on the parkway in the period after demonstrators left the parkway. Both occurred in the westbound side of the parkway, which protesters never blocked. Demonstrators did not cause either accident. Ironically, the police assault had the effect of increasing the amount of time the eastbound lanes were blocked because the police and their cars were in the middle of the road for much of the attack.

Police released six of the arrested/kidnapped demonstrators within a few hours without bail. They arbitrarily singled out three other arrested/kidnapped demonstrators for harsher treatment, probably because the police thought they were leaders. The police transferred them to the Broome county jail and set bail at $500 each. Activists bailed them out that evening, the earliest police would release them.

The next day, in the city of Binghamton, Broome County Peace Action held another rally against the war. This rally involved neither civil disobedience nor police brutality, but participants in the rally told news media that they had no objections to civil disobedience and were fine with the march on Vestal Parkway. Binghamton Mayor Matt Ryan was one of the participants in the rally and told the media that he, too, has no objection to civil disobedience.

Some have criticized the march on Vestal Parkway on the grounds that it was inconvenient for motorists and wasted taxpayer money. The war in Iraq is far worse than the minor inconveniences or costs caused by the march. This objection is racist because it is based on the assumption that inconvenience to American motorists is worse than the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis. Those who condemn the march on Vestal are effectively aiding and abetting the war. Talking about the war will not end it. The government doesn't care what the people think, the only way to make it withdraw from Iraq is to force it to withdraw. Only resistance can end the war.