March 19th: Analysis and Reflection from the Anti-War Movement

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The March 19th Anti-war protest was not simply a street march, it was the result of many people getting together and thinking critically. Rochester Indymedia talked with organizers of events yesterday about the effects of war, how Obama's election changes things and how we can finally put an end to this war.

How have the last six years of war affected our communities?

Over 4500 soldiers have died. 2 million Iraqis have been displaced. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have died, our strategic interests in the region haven't obviously been advanced in a meaningful way and it's cost maybe 2 trillion dollars - the estimates vary, but it's costing an enormous amount of money and we haven't gotten a return on that investment.
Nicholas Wilt, Progressive Democrats of Genesee Valley

The war has definitely impacted the Rochester community directly - in a lot of ways. But I think that the poor population is especially targeted and affected by the war; by things like military recruitment which is done in city schools where poorer residents who might not have the funds or opportunities available to go to college or find good jobs are encouraged to join Junior ROTC or consider a career in the military. Their lives are more often put on the line.

In other ways, the funds that are used for war come out of New York State's budget. Millions of dollars that have been spent for the war in Iraq money that could have been channeled back into our community to hire teachers, to improve conditions in the schools in our city, to provide programs and assistance to the homeless, the poor and the hungry. But instead we're seeing cuts to these things and we see that directly at Food not Bombs - from people who need food and who are also isolated by war and poverty in our community. So Food not Bombs tries to create an opportunity for dialog over a meal. And we've definitely talked with and heard stories from people in the community who have been directly affected by the war.
Caitlin Holcombe - Food not Bombs

I can speak specifically to students. Right now the SUNY school system is facing tuition hikes and you can't separate that from the economy that's affected by this trillion dollar war that we're in. And what we from SDS are demanding is more money for education not for war. We want redirecting of funds into education, scholarships, an end to military recruitment on campuses and divestment from corporations that are engaged in war profiteering.
Jake Allen, Rochester Students for a Democratic Society (SDS)

The last six years has affected our community vastly. It took away from our resources, all the money that were supposed to going to our people and means for survival for our people has been diverted to a war that makes no sense and that we have nothing to do with. This is my opinion, but it's one of the lead causes of us being in a recession, if we weren't in a war we wouldn't be in a recession, there would be plenty for all. Now that we have a new leader that is geared towards getting us out of that war, lord willing, he will be geared towards helping the people.
John Rouse, Activists Against Racism Movement (AARM)

Somebody once said that the bush administration was the best organizing tool that we could have had. I've been living in Rochester for most of my life and I'm seeing a great community of activists emerge. People who are committed and consistently there. So that's the part of what's going on with the military and international policies that has been good.

The rest of the six years, when I think back on it, sometimes when I wake up I wonder if I'm living in a nightmare. I just can't believe that we're going down this road. It's a huge heartache, I just want to shed the yuckiness of it. For me, I can never work hard enough, it never feels like enough. I think other people are feeling that as well because people are really heroic in their commitment, in their courage and the things that they do. In Declaration of Peace, we are committed to doing direct action, both what we call documented and undocumented, or legal and illegal. [It happens] along a continuum in how we are putting ourselves out there for the change.

There are signs of hopefulness in all this. I think one of the biggest are the young people in our community who are really getting involved all over the place. And I think for people who are my age who have been against wars since the Vietnam war, are feeling motivated and empowered by the younger people who are joining hands with us. It feels really really good.
Cathy Declaration of Peace Rochester

I think definitely you can see that the lack of funding for education and social welfare is more apparent with all the money spent on wars. I think the, especially with the recent economic news, that everyone's been more focused on the economy. People need to start connecting the dots and that the money is being spent on the war.

One of the three points of unity of the IVAW is full funding for the VA. Both physical and mental health care. Mental health is a big issue for soldiers coming back Having Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and not being able to get any treatment for it. Actually, more soldiers committed suicide in January than were killed in both Iraq and Afghanistan, so that's a big problem.
Ken Braley, Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW)

Now that we have Obama as a president, how should the anti-war community organize to end the war?

Now that Obama is in office, what the anti-war community, hopefully, is focusing on continuing to put pressure on the administration to end the war in Iraq through various methods of protest - to hold him accountable to his campaign promises. I think a lot of people are distracted by the economic crisis and I think that it's easy for presidents to promise lots of things then when they get into office to not really follow through. I think it's important to hold this administration accountable for a war that Bush may have started, but that now it is ultimately up to Obama's administration to end. Focusing on getting energy from the community that was responsible for getting him elected is really important, so hopefully today will not be a one time demonstration, but a way to get interest from the community to plug into the anti-war movement locally.
Caitlin Holcombe, Food not Bombs

I think with Obama being in office we have a bit of an advantage in that that there's a possibility that he might actually listen, as compared to bush who made it pretty apparent that he just didn't care if he country was against the war. I think the strategy is to put pressure on the House of Representatives, who we are able to get closest contact too. If we have pressure on them and then national movement on the president than I think that will be, hopefully, enough pressure on the government to end the war.
Ken Braley, Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW)

I think a lot of people have been really energized by Obama. And we really need to take advantage of that fact, and go to these people and say listen, even Obama says that people need to get organized. Join community organizations, get involved and start making changes in your community, because the reality is that Obama can only make so much change. The system is not designed to be changed by some new president. What we need to do is get active, get in the streets and start making changes ourselves.
Jake Allen, Rochester Students for a Democratic Society (SDS)

At all times, we should be sending a message that enough is enough and it's time for us to get out of the war. It's time for this war to end. It's going to take us some time, but that should be #1 on our priority list. We talk about a better economy, well we'll have a better economy when we're out of the war. Because that means we'll have a way to refocus our priorities and our priorities should be mainly our people.
John Rouse, Activists Against Racism Movement (AARM)

The anti war movement needs to help Obama make the right decisions. That is going to mean keeping the dialog open to drawing down our military presence. The congress also - we need to give them the ammunition and show them the war is sufficiently unpopular with the American people that your not taking a political risk by taking matters to end it. Over 60% of the American people oppose the war, so it's something of a mystery as to why the congress is so enthusiastic about it and why Obama is taking about escalating in Afghanistan even as he draws down in Iraq and leaving dozens of thousands of troops in Iraq even after the purported draw-down.
Nicholas Wilt, Progressive Democrats of Genesee Valley

I was just speaking today about how he said, when asked where Martin Luther King would be in his administration. He said organizing - creating the kind of things we have got today. This is who Martin Luther King was, and we're doing this is the spirit of people like him. And our leaders can only be what we demand of them. And, okay, I worked on getting Obama elected, but it's not done. He needs our voice, he needs it more than ever.

I worked for years on organization change, that was part of my work life. The leaders of these organizations would say I need the people in my organization to get their voices speaking out so I can keep making these changes. I can't do it if they are all silent. That's really true for our country. We need to support the good decisions he makes and call him to task. We have an undeclared war in Pakistan, we're sending more troops to Afghanistan which is not winnable - we know this. The Russians knew it and we know it. None of these wars are really winnable, the people will fight them until there's not a person left in the country or there's not a building standing. I don't know what winning looks like; it's not possible; it's an unachievable goal. And in the meantime we're just creating more poverty and hardship at home.
Cathy Castania, Declaration of Peace Rochester

Any other comments about the March 19th actions or in general?

Today was good, but I pray today will be the last time we have to do an event for the anniversary of the war. This needs to be the last one and if we come together again it's to help raise up our people, our community and our children.
John Rouse, Activists Against Racism Movement (AARM)

Food not Bombs has been meeting for two or three years, and we meet every other Saturday at 4:00 at Saint Josephs house of hospitality and anyone is able to participate. We operate on a consensus-based model, so everyone has an equal voice in our decision making process. And is invited to join us to cook vegetarian meals and to eat them in the park in south and Alexander at 6:30. And people can find out exactly when we will be serving at http://www.myspace.com/rochesterfoodnotbombs.
Caitlin Holcombe, Food not Bombs

Today what's so far really exciting is that it's not just a bunch of white people out here saying this. Not that I feel like we have to put this burden on people of color, but they are paying a disproportionate price for this war, and I think working hand in hand with them [is good]. They know it's racist, it's the white people that have to keep hearing that it's racist. We all need to be acting and working together to make it end.

I love that Ricardo was out here just telling it is, just connecting the dots - that so many people of color got up to speak. I also like that white women got up and spoke. I like that it was just a real good diverse set of voices. And right where we need to be, where people who don't have cars, and the people who depend on public transportation are hanging out. It was good.
Cathy Castania, Declaration of Peace Rochester

You can see a diversity of groups are represented here and a majority of the American people oppose the war. It is incumbent on our representatives to start respecting the American people and to start spending our resources on the American people instead of military ventures abroad.
Nicholas Wilt, Progressive Democrats of Genesee Valley