Wednesday, approximately fifty people including students from Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) along with members of Occupy Wall Street, Veterans For Peace, War Resisters League and World Can’t Wait shut down three military recruiting stations that are situated within one block from BMCC and Stuyvesant High School on Chambers St. in Manhattan. Students and others gathered outside the gates of BMCC on Wednesday morning demanding “Stop the Wars, Stop the Recruiters!”
Protesters and students marched to the Marines recruiting station just across from the college as they chanted, then entered and occupied the office. The marchers then marched to the Army recruiting station just up the block, where Matthis Chiroux, an Iraq War resister spoke out, saying, “They teach you to kill, to kill for capitalism, imperialism, sexism and racism.” Both the Army and Navy recruitment center down the street were already shut for the day – most likely after hearing about the scheduled protest.
World Can’t Wait has been protesting outside the recruiting offices and doing outreach at the colleges up the block every Wednesday from noon – 1pm as part of the We Are Not Your Soldiers project.
Watch video from the protest: Speak out Against Military Recruiters
Listen to WBAI’s report (aired February 15, 2012)
Miranda, a student protester wrote:
I am a student at Borough of Manhattan Community College. Every day when I get off the train, I walk one block to get to my classes. On that one block alone, I pass two military recruiting centers. There are four centers within a two-block radius of BMCC and Stuyvesant High School.
Upon reaching the U.S. Marine Recruitment Center, approximately five people went in before the doors were locked. Among those that entered was Elaine Brower, whose son has served in three combat tours in Iraq. She proposed that the commanding officer participate in a debate with a veteran from We Are Not Your Soldiers, to occur at either BMCC or Stuyvesant HS. He declined citing reasons such as it was undesirable to be put on the spot and answer unwanted questions. And the group proceeded down Chambers to the Army, gathering people and talking to more students as we went.
The movement has volunteers at both BMCC and Stuyvesant HS, passing out flyers and promoting the message of “NOT join the military and DO join the movement to stop the recruiters and the wars.” If you want to get involved, we meet every Wednesday in front of BMCC, there’s always some awesome activity to be a part of. This affects us now. This affects our children. World Can’t Wait.
Occupy Military Recruiters protests can be put together with only a few people to start with – all it takes is the courage to tell the truth and a few friends. Professors, teachers, students, and parents who wish to have the “We Are Not Your Soldiers” tour visit their class can contact wearenotyoursoldiers@worldcantwait.net.