Anti-war group unites to bring troops home

A giant white peace sign floated above traffic Wednesday at the intersection of Walnut Street and Kirkwood Avenue.

 The Bloomington Peace Action Coalition protested the war in Iraq and urged the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq and Afghanistan.

They demonstrate on that same corner from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. the first and third Wednesday of every month.

“God bless you for continuing to speak out,” a passing Bloomington woman said.

The BPAC’s peaceful demonstrations oppose the current war, and ask for help in bringing the American troops home from the Middle East.

The group distributes flyers, displays anti-war signs and provides petitions to be signed and presented to the local government.

Formed in September 2001, soon after Sept. 11, the group organized a Peace Camp in Dunn Meadow from October 2001 to June 2002, and organized an anti-war petition of 1,396 signatures on July 14, 2003, which was presented to Congressman Baron Hill.

Member Timothy Baer said the group consisted mainly of students when it first formed in 2001, but has now grown to include residents of Bloomington and individuals who reside outside city limits. 

“We are here to protest the war in Iraq,” Baer said. “We are here to remind people that there is still a military force in Iraq and Afghanistan that should be sent home.”

In addition to peaceful petitions and the bi-monthly “End the War” demonstrations, the group hopes to bring the economic effects of war to the forefront. 

Another group member, David Keppel, said he thinks the war effects more than just soldiers and their families.

“Here we are, in a severe recession, and our social services are being cut as well as our education,” Keppel said. “A few months ago Congressman Baron Hill voted in favor of funding the war, but against unemployment benefits. You can’t be a deficit hog and a foreign policy hog at the same time.”

Keppel said the support has been tremendous for BPAC’s cause, with new members and supporters joining almost every day.

“We work not only for a sense of urgency, but for a sense of hope,” he said. “I come here because I want people to know we are not alone and that we are a community.”

Keppel said the group’s message is not to find an immediate cure for the war, but to complete the steps necessary to create a global effort to end the war, even if it is a long-term process.

“The idea that war gets the job done is just an illusion,” Keppel said. “I worried that this tragedy of crime would turn into a reason for war, and now we need global cooperation to fight those crimes that were committed nine years ago.”