Peace camp runs its course

Steps to Freedom, a local community activist, said "the spirit told him to change his name and campaign for peace."\nStarting last October, part of that campaign was camping out in Dunn Meadow for almost eight months to protest the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan. Steps said the idea for the camp came from the Bloomington Peace Action Coalition as a way to respond to President Bush's call to action against terrorism.\n"It was a protest against the concept of a never-ending war," Steps said.\nAlthough the idea was the brainchild of the Peace Action Coalition, he quickly became the leader of the camp. \n"It wasn't my idea in the first place," he said. "I was just the determined one."\nThe camp was set up in Dunn Meadow because of high student traffic, open space and proximity to support facilities.\nDean of Students Richard McKaig said he didn't expect the camp to form, but he was not surprised.\n"As far as I know, they just appeared there," McKaig said. "Our campus has a rich tradition of these kinds of activities. I don't tend to view them as problems; it's just a part of life on a college campus."\nMcKaig said past camps have run into sanitation issues, and some runaways camped out with protesters.\nDaily life in the camp was pretty consistent from day to day.\n"It was mostly boredom," Steps said. "Watching people go by." \nSteps and his fellow campers cooked and heated their tents with a wooden stove and used the water and sanitary facilities in the Indiana Memorial Union. The often brutal Indiana autumn season didn't faze Steps or the campers. \nThe camp drew many different reactions, some supportive, some questioning, but Steps said IU respected his political rights and ideals.\n"IU was very cooperative and stood up for my right to be there the entire time," Steps said. "Many students were idealistically supportive."\nMcKaig said student opinion ran the gamut from from supportive to displeased.\n"My impression was that student reaction varied," McKaig said. "There were some who disagreed with the peace camp because they believed strongly in what the U.S. was doing. Others praised the camp for it's stance on the issues."\nAfter some time in the meadow the camp began to decline in numbers and ideals. Steps said people were beginning to take advantage of the camp. \n"(People) used it as a place to sleep without participating," Steps said. "If you set up a vigil, it should be a vigil."\nMcKaig said legal action had to be taken against those who took advantage of the camp. Nonstudents had begun to take up residence in the camp and were not participating in the demonstrations. \n"Near the end, some arrests were made for trespassing," McKaig said. \nSteps too began to feel the stress of leading the camp. Before long, he was neglecting his work with the Green Party and his activist message. \n"I had to watch the camp instead of doing activism," he said.\nAfter Steps agreed to close the camp, IU provided dumpsters for him to clean the site.\nMcKaig said he had to strike a balance between the needs of the University and the right to free speech.\n"(Camps) become a problem if they violate university regulations, or if individuals not affiliated with the camp exploit it," McKaig said. "These do not preclude protecting the free speech that goes on."\nThough no longer sleeping in Dunn Meadow, Steps said he still believes in the issues the camp stood for. He and others still protest the War on Terror at 5 p.m. Wednesdays in front of the Monroe County Courthouse.