Andy Watson and Adriano Contreras
Michael Conti

“Obama’s plan is being misinterpreted” were the words of Adriano Contreras, a fifth year Multidisciplinary studies major at RIT. “Essentially, if troops remain, it’s still an occupation.” “U.S. OUT OF EVERYWHERE,” a message scrawled on the wooden sign of a protester, was the dominating message for the day’s grievances.

On the night of March 20, 32 RIT students boarded a bus with others from ten Rochester area colleges, traveling some 370 miles to the nation’s capitol to protest the United States’ continuing military activities overseas. On Saturday afternoon, the 21st, with signs in hand and fists raised high, the students began a demonstration from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to the front doors of Boeing International, General Dynamics and KBR.

“The March to the Pentagon” was a national day of protest sponsored primarily by the A.N.S.W.E.R. (Act Now to Stop War & End Racism) Coalition, a wide-ranging non-profit that was formed on September 14, 2001 to demonstrate against war and racism. San Francisco, Los Angeles and Orlando also had significant demonstrations the same day. A wholly peaceful protest, the marchers included representatives from the Campus Anti-War Network, the Iraq Veterans Against the War, the Muslim Boy Scouts and different Socialist organizations.

“It’s a very young group and we’re very excited,” declared Leia Petty, a student at Brooklyn College and member of the National Coordinating Committee of the Campus Anti-War Network. While one could find people of all ages at the event, it was the youth that were the loudest and most enthusiastic about the cause.

“This was my first protest,” said Andy Watson, a first year Game Design and Development major. “I had a lot of fun.”

A cathartic experience for some, the three and half mile walk was only a warm up. The march made a stop for protesters to dance and jeer in front of the Boeing Corporation building, and still they managed to continue their dissent, traveling to two other corporate headquarters. The climax of the event was the placing of cardboard coffins draped in the flags of affected countries at the front entrances of General Dynamics, a defense conglomerate, and KBR, a former subsidiary of Halliburton.

While the date of the event, March 21, was chosen because of the six year anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, the subject of protest ranged from the commonly debated to the obscure. Some were focused primarily on the demand to remove American forces in Iraq, but voices also clamored for the withdrawal of U.S. support for Israel, as well as the impending concentration on Afghanistan. Contingents from the Philippines and Italy were present, protesting American military presence in their home countries. While much of the time was given towards addressing modern conflicts, protesters frequently called up the imagery of the past, insisting on accountability for previous involvement in Vietnam, Cuba, Iraq and a host of Latin American countries.

The current economic conditions added another twist to the already stacked agenda of the protesters. Signs and chants read clearly, “We need jobs and schools, not war.”

“Look at RIT,” provided Contreras. “With a 4.5 percent increase in tuition next year, I won’t be able to pay.”

Kevin Sapere, a fourth year Urban and Community Studies major wagered, “I think it [the military budget] should be going toward healthcare and creating more jobs.”

The United States holds the largest military budget in the world, many students around the country are still not satisfied with the changes enacted by the new administration. Tania Guerra, a fifth year Graphic Design student, said, “I was surprised with the turnout from RIT; we’re usually apathetic. People see a hopeful change with Obama, but they want to see more.”