WASHINGTON — Some Evanston residents and Northwestern studentsfinally have found common ground — antiwar sentiment.
Neighbors for Peace, a group of Evanston activists, subsidizedbus rides for about 50 NU students who attended an antiwar protestSaturday in Washington. Several members of Neighbors for Peace alsotraveled with students to the protest, which more than 25,000people attended, according to International ANSWER, the group thatorganized the activities.
“Neighbors for Peace has been to Washington, I guess, threetimes this year,” said Evanston resident Theresa Kubasak, 52, whowas active in organizing the trip. “We thought it’d be really greatto send the students.”
Most donors subsidized one student, though a few funded morethan one, Kubasak said. Each student paid $25, while non-studentspaid $50.
Kubasak said donors included an 88-year-old woman who workedwith Dorothy Day, co-founder of the Catholic Worker movement, inher youth.
“It’s too hard to be 88 and ride on a bus (for so long),”Kubasak said. “She’s a totally radical grandma.”
Another donor was a young couple who wanted to make the trip butcould not leave their young children at home, Kubasak said.
Neighbors for Peace and student group Northwestern Opposing Warand Racism are planning a meeting to discuss more options for jointactivism, Kubasak said.
The students, most associated with NOWAR, were united by antiwarsentiment, but some felt uncertain about what was left to protest.Media reports of the fall of Baghdad and the regime of SaddamHussein were fresh in their minds.
But regardless of doubts, students and residents boarded the bustogether at the Arts Circle Friday afternoon. Protesters arrived inWashington nearly 14 hours later.
Once there, a crowd gathered at Freedom Plaza for a pre-marchrally. A few counter-demonstrators stood outside the offices of TheWashington Post, and others held a rally for the troops in front ofthe U.S. Capitol building.
But the message at Saturday’s protest had changed from previousdemonstrations.
Some marchers edited their signs to reflect their perception offuture conflicts. With a little tape, “Stop Iraq War” became “StopIran War.”
Organizers said the march was designed to take demonstratorspast the offices of various media, including Fox News, TheWashington Post and The New York Times.
Protesters also marched past Halliburton, Vice President DickCheney’s former company, which was awarded a contract to put outoil fires in Iraq.
“There’s a larger agenda that (students) are resisting,” saidNeighbors for Peace member Dale Lehman, 56. He said governmentaction is “destabilizing the ability of this country to care forits citizens.”
