Activists across the metro and Mankato shut down the Military Recruiters Stations

[annm4peace]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=5522894&mesg_id=5522894

Zero Recruitment Day saw at least five significant actions at military recruiting stations throughout the Twin Cities in addition to an action at the campus ROTC in Mankato. In Brooklyn Center, four activists locked themselves to a station, disrupting business for over half the day. Three Grandmothers for Peace were arrested after trying to enlist in St. Louis Park; afterwards, supporters continued to disrupt business. At Lake and Lyndale in Minneapolis, a full day of action culminated in a redecoration of the recruiting station there, leading to a bizarre spectacle of fire trucks. Actions also happened in West St. Paul and the University of Minnesota, where a lengthy rally closed the recruiting station there, while College Republican counter-protesters held signs--many racists and advocating torture--nearby. TCIMC's dispatch is now off-line; read below for a play-by-play and check back for video reports in the next few days!

[annm4peace]

1. Pictures and story in MN University's Daily..

http://www.mndaily.com/2009/04/23/fight-breaks-out-amid-stadium-village-protest#comment-11893








Two opposing protests in front of a Stadium Village military recruitment office Thursday — totaling about 50 people — led to at least one fight, though no arrests were made.

Members of the Students for a Democratic Society and Anti-War Committee lined up on Washington Avenue to protest military involvement in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq Thursday morning.

In opposition to the protest, students from the University of Minnesota’s College Republicans, as well as veterans and supporters, positioned themselves in front of the recruiting office, carrying signs accusing the original protestors of being unpatriotic.

One sign read, “End the war by winning it.”

The dual protest began peacefully, with each group trying to muffle the other’s message in a shouting competition from separate sides of the street. Eventually, members of SDS, the Anti-War Committee and supporters crossed the street to protest in front of the military recruiting office, resulting in a brief physical altercation between the opposing groups leaving a few protestors pushed to the ground.