Walk-out brings high school, college students together
Locals protest the Iraq War on its four-year anniversary
Megan Peters
Issue date: 3/21/07 Section: News
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They gathered on the sidewalk, spilling over in to the grass by the Bell Tower.
Student Walk-Out Against War rallied for the four-year anniversary of the Iraq War, publicizing the event with fliers and a mass e-mail to the College Democrats Listserv and help from Fight Imperialism Stand Together.
Students for a Democratic Society held events at 82 universities, colleges and high school nationwide Tuesday, including State, Enloe, Southeast Raleigh, Cary, Green Hope and Raleigh Charter High Schools.
"A huge number of high schoolers came out. ... [It's] wonderful to see high school students engaging in the process," Tara Ilsley, sophomore in political science and Spanish, said.
"There was a flier on my desk. I came just to see what's going on," Leigh Spahn, a senior in graphic design, said.
She said she is avidly against the war.
Other antiwar protesters waved signs, chanted and discussed the War in Iraq.
"I just think in terms of where we are now, we are already [in Iraq] ... now we have to leave immediately, de-fund the war and get our troops out," Ryan Wayne, a senior in art and design, said.
Ilsley said she agreed and stressed the significance of protest.
"It's really important to protest against the war," Ilsley said. "We voted for change in November. Now we need to do something about it."
Dante Strobino, FIST member and graduate student in electrical engineering, said he has been speaking out against the war for four years.
As the students marched in front of the Bell Tower, whose door is inscribed with "and they shall beat their swords into plowshares," four or five members of Campus Police were on hand.
Some police officials, who dressed in civilian attire, accompanied the protesters at all times during the rally and said they were "making sure protesters get safely to where they need to go."
Tyneisha Bowens, a junior in psychology and women's and gender studies, said she was approached by Campus Police and told that chanting would not be permitted in the Brickyard.
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