Community protests Iraq War as it reaches the 5-year mark

Protesters fell onto the sidewalk in front of the Kirkwood Avenue National Guard recruitment center Wednesday, representing fallen soldiers as they participated in a voluntary “die-in” protest marking the fifth anniversary of the Iraq War. \nStudents and Bloomington residents marched across campus and through the town to protest the war in Iraq, despite the rain and freezing conditions. \nThe protest was one of many across the country Wednesday that marked the five-year anniversary of the war in Iraq, which began March 19, 2003. \n“My friends and myself feel this war has gone on much too long, or we never should have gone in the first place,” said senior Eoban Binder. “Today is a good day to protest our presence in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Middle East.”\nThe protest started at Ballantine Hall with Indiana Students Against the War and the Democratic Socialist group leading the protest. They soon headed to the Sample Gates at the intersection of Kirkwood and Indiana avenues, holding up signs that read “five years too many,” “say no to war” and “five minutes for five years of war.” Protesters also spoke through megaphones and banged on plastic drums.\n“The first time I ever did this was five years ago when I was 16,” said senior Kyle Andis, speaking of a protest in Indianapolis. “We knew it was going to happen, so we met in the center of the city.”\nThe Bloomington Peace Action Coalition joined the protesters at the Sample Gates along with students from Bloomington High School South. Students and residents joined the protest as it carried on.\n“I was hanging up posters for another event,” said junior Melissa Roth, who joined the protest at Ballantine Hall. “I had no idea this was going on. More people than this are interested, and it’s important to spread awareness.”\nAfter protesting in front of the Sample Gates, the marchers made their way down Kirkwood Avenue to the National Guard recruitment center. Protesters participated in five minutes of silence to represent the five years in Iraq.\nIU police officers were also present to make sure the protesters stayed out of the streets.\n“This protest is in conjunction with a series of larger protests nationwide,” Binder said. “There are larger protests in larger cities ... We try to coordinate local protests with protests going on throughout the country.”\nProtesters continued to march down Kirkwood Avenue until they reached City Hall, where they continued to demonstrate. Prior to Wednesday’s events, Indiana Students Against the War collected postcards from the public asking the government to take action and stop the war. The postcards were delivered to 9th District Rep. Baron Hill’s office at the end of the protest.\n“At least we let them know that there are people around the world against the war,” said graduate student Sandrine Catris. “We want to be visible and show the Iraqi people we want to be out of there.”\nSome students also wore black ribbons to represent the people who have died in the war.\n“You have to look at history because it doesn’t just take internal disagreement,” Binder said. “We would have been in Vietnam a lot longer if there hadn’t been such an outcry. There hasn’t been such an outcry because we don’t have a draft.”