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On November 2 an estimated 1000 activists, including students, gathered downtown to protest the Bush regime according to the World Can’t Wait organization.
Student participation to protest wars are not new however. A few noteworthy protests in Seattle are:
On April 26, 1968, around 2,000 students skipped classes at the University of Washington to protest the Vietnam War during a national student strike.
On May 5, 1970, over 1,000 protestors came together on I-5 at the 45thstreet exit by the University, blocking southbound lanes, to speak out against the US’s invasion of Cambodia and the death of four Kent State antiwar protestors shot by members of the National Guard.
On December 5, 2002 about 300 students skipped classes to congregate at the Federal Building to protest the Gulf War.
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Ann “Tashi” Hashimoto, Seattle, 18 (center of photograph)
I believe the purpose in my life is to help change the world for the better. And whats going on in the world is not right. I don’t believe in this massive murder. I don’t believe in carrying on ignorance. I don’t believe in making people suffer. I like to see myself as a compassionate person and I have heard a lot of horrendous things have gone on in this world.
I was speaking to the people at the Federal building. We had a massive gathering over there and I was talking about how This is like a book. The pages of history are already written. We can’t turn back. We can’t change what’s happened in the past. However, there are pages blank before us. That’s the future. And we can write on those page.
I mean there’s so much possibility in the future only if we decide to stand up and unite and change whats going on because no matter what, the oppositon is constantly fighting against us. If we don’t get up and stand for it they’re gonna win. We are being oppressed further and further. The Patriot Act. Freedom of Speech. Its going to get harder and harder to win the longer that we wait. We cannot wait. And also when we wait we feed into the oppression. If we’re constantly feeding into these corporations we’re gonna screw ourselves over so we need to take action.
And people want to take down the Bush regime. There is such a huge dissatisfaction rate in this country and I’m not satisfied. I will not rest until this regime is taken out of power.
I know that I cannot with my conscience deny what’s going on in the world and I cannot just sit around and feed into it. I mean this is why I’m here. Its to change this stuff.
