Protesters question motives, results of the war and call for democratic intervention in congress
On the fourth anniversary weekend of the U.S. occupation of Iraq, community members from CU and Boulder gathered at the band shell downtown for a march and rally Saturday.
Midday traffic on Broadway came to a stop in both directions to make way for hundreds of protesters – some shouting and carrying signs demanding an end to the occupation.
“We’re against the war in Iraq and the possible invasion of Iran,” said Kyle Elston, a sophomore history major at CU. “We went there without a justifiable reason.”
Students like Elston joined community members of all ages to show support for an end to the conflict that began on March 20, 2003.
“It’s great that Saddam Hussein isn’t in power anymore, but I don’t know if we can say Iraq is better post-Saddam than it was with Saddam,” Elston said.
The Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center sponsored and organized the event, which aimed to urge Rep. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) and Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Colo.) to stop congressional funding for the Iraq occupation.
The rally featured guest speakers and performers from the Boulder and international communities, including a native Iraqi, Imam Ibrahim Kazerooni and songwriter Ree O’Winds.
Representatives from a new RMPJC youth collective were also at the rally and organized an open mic segment for youth during which several teenagers took to the band shell to read poetry and sing versions of popular and original music.
Rally goers were encouraged to write letters at a RMPJC table and to support the organization’s “Occupation Project” campaign. Campaign participants have been staging sit-ins at the offices of Udall and Salazar since Feb. 20.
Hosting the rally on the band shell stage was RMPJC’s international collective coordinator, Carolyn Bninski, who said that people often ask why the organization is targeting democrats with its demands for an end to the war.
“Democrats were elected to stop the war,” Bninski said. “They’ve made steps, but we believe the longer we stay the more Iraqis will die.”
For former CU economics professor Don Roper, who retired in 2004, one of the most gripping effects of the war in Iraq is the economic toll here at home.
“I want to be part of the peace movement,” Roper said. “The natural way to do that is to incorporate my background.”
Roper said in a speech at Saturday’s rally that the price of U.S. currency has fallen about 8 percent against foreign currencies over the last year.
“We’re seeing more inflation than we would have without the war – more debt means more inflation,” Roper said. “The republican (Federal Reserve System) cannot afford to take on inflation without killing the economy, and they won’t do that until after 2009 when the democrats are in office.”
For Boulder citizen Mike Durall, the war in Iraq is more than a strain on the economy.
Durall’s son Graham, 24, recently returned from a tour in the U.S. Air Force as an electronics technician in Qatar.
“A lot of airstrikes originated from his base,” Durall said. “I worried everyday – what scares me the most is two uniformed servicemen showing up at my door.”
Contact staff writer Jimmy Himes at james.himes@colorado.edu
