As most of you know the Oread Daily first appeared in the summer of 1970 on the hot and sweaty streets of Lawrence, Kansas. So it is with a great deal of pride that the OD reports today on it's home town and the folks there who just keep on keeping on!
Editor's Note: The whole thing calls to mind George Kimball who in 1965, was expelled from the University of Kansas in Lawrence for picketing the local draft board while carrying a sign that read "fuck the draft." The same incident led to his arrest on a charge of committing an act of gross public indecency. "They treated it like a sex crime," he explained. Ultimately, he served two-and-a-half days in jail for the offense if you can believe that one. By the way, George, who was also one of the most obnoxious people I've ever met went on to become a sports writer in Boston. Boxing is his specialty. He also writes basketball, golf and football. Probably best remembered for an incident where Roger Clemens threw some bread rolls at him after a game.
The following comes from the Lawrence Journal World (Lawrence, Kansas).
War protesters arrested
Chanting Iraqi names, group refuses to leave Army center
A group of war protesters covered themselves in tomato paste, walked into a local Army-recruiting office Thursday afternoon, linked arms and refused to leave.
They were protesting the deaths of 24 Iraqi civilians in November at the hands of U.S. Marines in the city of Haditha, an incident that remains under investigation. As protester David Strano read each name of those killed, the others in the group shouted, “Killed by the U.S. military.”
“We’re here to remind you. Every day these people are dying,” Strano said.
The group chanted for about five minutes in the lobby of the recruiting center, 2223 La., then walked toward an office where the station’s camouflage-clad manager stood talking on the telephone. As they neared his office, he slammed the door and shut himself inside. The group pounded and kicked at the door and kept chanting the names of the dead.
When the first Lawrence Police officer arrived moments later, the group immediately dropped to the ground face-down with their arms still linked. It took about a half-hour for officers to separate them, carry them from the building one by one and load them into a waiting prisoner-transport vehicle.
Two Lawrence Police Officers take one of several protesters Thursday afternoon from the Army recruiting office at 2223 La. The group members had covered themselves in tomato paste, linked arms and refused to leave the recruiting center as they chanted the names of slain Iraqi civilians.
One or two walked, but most went limp and forced the officers to drag them. Overall, the removal went without major incident.
“They were resisting, but they weren’t throwing punches or anything,” Lawrence Police Sgt. Craig Shanks said.
All were arrested and taken to the Douglas County Jail on charges including disorderly conduct, trespassing and obstruction. Afterward, the recruiting station’s manager declined comment.
About 15 of the protesters’ supporters stood around the building videotaping the scene, writing down officers’ names from their badges and holding signs with messages such as “Support all war resisters.” One woman strummed a ukulele.
The Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines all have recruiting offices in the strip mall where the protest happened; the protest itself took place inside the Army’s office.
Some of the people involved were also involved in a previous incident in December at the same address, in which seven people locked themselves to the outside of the building with bicycle locks.
Lawrence resident Patrick Tyrrell, who helped organize the protest, said the linking arms was a deliberate strategy to show solidarity, prolong the protest and make the group harder to separate.
“This will be one more reminder that people are still dying. Unarmed civilians are dying because of this unjust war,” he said.
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