Eighty March In Silence

Yesterday was the 5th anniversary of the war and occupation of Iraq. A group of us, connected with the Corvallis Alternatives To War, along with a sponsoring student group, organized a silent march and die-in. We started along the northeast edge of the OSU campus, marched past the campus business zone and onto the Quad in front of the Memorial Union (the MU). We had 80 people marching, most were dressed in black, many carried signs.





Our intention was to look and feel like a funeral march. We wanted to march slowly, solemnly and deliberately. So Joe lead us with a slow, single beat of his drum. Kris and Rich followed with the banner they made in 2004 and have used for the marches each year since then.




I love this Abbey Road/Peace March photo of Courtney's.





As we were marching I was remembering when Medea Benjamin, founder of Code Pink, spoke at the Corvallis Library recently. She said only in the U.S. is marching in the streets considered old-fashioned, something from the 60's. In the rest of the world it's how they effect social change--they pour out in the streets and stay there until something shifts. Americans sit at their TVs or computers and think things are going to change, and become disheartened when they don't. I have to say I agree with Medea. Probably nothing is going to happen until there's a critical mass out there saying NO.





As we gathered in front of the MU, a student named Alia read our statement of purpose:

On 19 March 2003 the U.S. attacked and invaded the sovereign nation of Iraq.
We stand in silent protest of the despicable Iraq war and occupation.
We grieve for the hundreds of thousands of lives needlessly taken.
We object to the hundreds of billions of dollars spent to kill and destroy.
We deplore the arrogant indifference of the Bush administration to international law and human rights.
We refuse to succumb to the fear propaganda perpetuated by our government.
We call for an immediate end to the occupation of Iraq.
Join us.

With that Joe struck a couple of beats and everyone laid down on the sidewalk at the entrance of the MU. A couple of us stayed standing and handed out copies of our statement of purpose and answered questions as people walked up.

At first I thought it would be too long to have people lying there for 15 minutes. That concrete is mighty cold this time of year. But it actually turned out to be just the right amount of time. From talking to Courtney and others later, I can see that we all settled into the parts we were playing. After a bit of time my mind quietened and I felt a hint of what it must be like to have your family or your village dead or dying all around you. It especially hit me when I saw Courtney lying there next to my friend Laurie and her husband John. (Just before I left yesterday for the march, I read an article about a recent tragedy when an Iraqi family of 16 were all killed.)





After 15 minutes Joe struck his drum twice and everyone got up. We formed our line single-file and resumed our march through campus, past the library and dorms, and back to our starting point. One woman suggested we form a circle and have a moment of silence together, which we did, before we disbanded. As I looked around that circle I saw so much heart, compassion, sadness, strength and determination. I felt really proud to stand with these people.






This is our community and people I have come to love and appreciate. Every town has people like these--ones who care passionately about life and others, ones with hope and vision, ones who get out there and speak out and do whatever they can, even though it's never enough. But this is our town and our people and I feel quite lucky to have landed here.

This morning the local paper, the Gazette-Times, put us "above the fold"--two big color pictures on the front page--one of Joe leading the march and one of the die-in. And a good long article, and a sidebar about our upcoming community march on Saturday. That in itself feels like a little victory--whenever we get that kind of coverage in the mainstream press we've got to jump with joy.

Now let's see what we can do about ending the war! See you in the streets,

Valori