To: Rutgers University Administration and the New Brunswick Police Department
Defend the Rutgers 3! (petition!)
Stay updated: Http://www. rutgerswalkoutcoalition. blogspot. com Http://www. facebook. com/group. php? gid=14201206009 Email RutgersThree@gmail.com for press information and solidarity statements
On March 27, hundreds of Rutgers students and supporters participated in the Rutgers Walkout against the U. S. occupation of Iraq. Students walked out of classes, rallied on campus, marched through downtown New Brunswick, and spontaneously walked on to Route 18, a state highway. During the action, the police did not complain to student organizers, issue warnings to the crowd, or attempt to stop any of the actions. The non-violent protest, organized by 12 student organizations, ended without incident.
On April 10th of 2008, Suzan Sanal (Rutgers Against the War/Campus Antiwar Network), Erik Straub (Tent State/SDS), and Arwa Ibrahim received a summons from the state of New Jersey for activities during the Walk Out. These three were the only ones to receive a summons for the protest despite the fact that the Walk Out was organized by a coalition of multiple student groups and gathered several hundred participants. Arwa was not even a member of the Walk Out coalition and never attended an organizers’ meeting.
Walk Out coalition members met and communicated with police, before and during the event, in an effort to be cooperative with police to ensure participants’ safety.
According to the Targum, “(Sgt Richard) Rowe said members of the group advised them of their proposed route shortly before they began, so he said if the protesters went on Route 18 they would accommodate them.”
Police Pleased By Rally’s Nature: http://media.www.dailytargum.com……
All three are being charged with Disorderly Conduct, a “violation” according to New Jersey state law (equivalent to a “misdemeanor”). If convicted, they could face up to 30 days in jail, a $500 fine, and a record of an “offense” that would take several years to expunge. The complaint states, “Did engage in conduct which caused a physically dangerous or hazardous condition, specifically by organizing and participating in a protest march onto Route 18 disrupting traffic in violation of N. J. S. 2c: 33-2A(2)”
These selective charges are designed to intimidate students and student organizations from organizing such antiwar protests.
We, the undersigned, call for Rutgers University administration to defend and support the three students faced with these unjust charges. We also call for all charges against the Rutgers 3 to be immediately dropped.
Signed by:
Rutgers Walkout Coalition
**Affiliations of signers are noted for identification purposes only**
(university students)
‘Binghamton 9’: Basheer Bergus, David Bittner, Andrew Epstein, Maresi Starzman, Dan Johnson, Joe Golowka, and Tom Pieragastini
Campus Antiwar Network National Coordinating Committee: Ken Love, Jake Allen, Tiffany Cheng, Leia Petty, Amanda Ginsberg, Chris Dols, Katrina Yeaw, David Goodner
Elizabeth Wrigley-Field, (UW Madison), national Coordinating Committee 2005-2006, Campus Antiwar Network
Kati Ketz - Student Commission of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Students for a Democratic Society (March
20 Working Group)
Kosta Harlan, Students for a Democratic Society (March 20 Working Group)
Snehal Shingavi, PhD candidate, English, UC Berkeley
Tariq D. Khan, has written on campus repression after having faced repression while protesting peacefully at George Mason University
‘Tuscaloosa 4’: Cristine Jackson and Alyse Deller, Tuscaloosa SDS, Jeremy Miller, UNC SDS, Jason Hurd IVAW
(veterans, physicians, professors, clergy, teachers, authors, editors, journalists, activists, lawyers, military families, organizations)
Ahmed Shawki, Editor, International Socialist Review, isreview. org
Alan Maass, Editor, Socialist Worker, socialistworker. org
Annie and Buddy Spell, attorneys, Covington, Louisiana
Ann Wright, US Army Reserve Colonel (Retired) and former US diplomat who resigned in opposition to the Iraq war.
Anthony Arnove, author of Iraq: The Logic of Withdrawal and editor of Iraq Under Siege and co-editor, with Howard Zinn, of Voices of a People’s History of the United States.
Avery Friend, Louisiana
Barbara Balliet, Associate Director of the Women’s and Gender Studies Department at Rutgers University
Barry Crimmins, author/political satirist
Brian Jones, NYC teacher, actor, activist
Bruce Gagnon, Coordinator, Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space
Buz Eisenberg, J. D., Criminal Justice Professor at Greenfield Community College; recipient of the President’s Award by the Boston Bar Association (2007) and Distinguished National Service Award by National Legal Aid and Defenders Association.
Camilo Mejia, Iraq war veteran and resister; author - Road From ar Ramadi The Private Rebellion of Staff Sergeant Camilo Mejia
Carol Gay, Chairperson, NJ Labor Against the War
Carolyn Fuller, Senior Analyst/ Programmer, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Central Jersey Coalition Against Endless War.
Chad Hetman, US Army veteran, Captain
Charles Jenks, J. D., Editor of PeaceJournal. org and SocialismConference. org (Socialism 2008), lawyer, member of International Socialist Organization.
Charlie Jackson, Texans for Peace
Coalition for Peace Action of Princeton (NJ)
Dahlia Wasfi, M. D.
Dahr Jamail, independent journalist, editor of dahrjamailiraq. com
David M. Hughes, Associate Professor of Human Ecology, Rutgers University
David Stratman, Editor, NewDemocracyWorld. org
David Swanson, creator of ImpeachCheney. org, Washington Director of Democrats. com, co-founder of AfterDowningStreet. org coalition
Dirk Adriaensens, coordinator of SOS Iraq and member of the Executive committee of the Brussells Tribunal
Dorinda Moreno, FuerzaMundial/We Are The Ones; Hitec Aztec Communications/Elders of 4 Colors 4 Directions
Doug Rokke, Ph. D., Major USAR (ret.)
Enoch H. Page, Ph. D., associate professor of anthropology, University of Massachusetts; anti-racist activist and local youth organizing consultant
Eric Ruder, Socialist Worker newspaper
Felice & Jack Cohen-Joppa, Editors, the Nuclear Resister newsletter
Frank Serpico, former New York City police detective
George A. Polisner, Participatory Progress Institute
Howard Zinn, historian, writer
Jacob Flowers, Director, Mid-South Peace and Justice Center, Memphis
Janet Gerson, peace education
Jeffrey St. Clair, Co-Editor of Counterpunch, author of Been Brown So Long it Looks Green to Me
Jim Barlow, member, Veterans for Peace, New York
Jimmy Massey, SSGT, USMC, RET
Joel Geier, Associate Editor, International Socialist Review
John M. LaForge, co-director of Nukewatch, www. nukewatch. org
Joshua Frank, journalist and co-editor with Jeffrey St. Clair of the forthcoming Red State Rebels: Tales of Grassroots Resistance in the Heartland
Karen Parker, J. D., President, Association of Humanitarian Lawyers
Kathy Kelly, Co-coordinator, Voices for Creative Nonviolence
Ken McNamara, Rutgers alumnus & Communications Workers of America, Local 1037 Representative
Kevin Hussey, National Steering Committee, Labor Against the War
Kevin Zeese, Executive Director, Voters for Peace
Larry Hamm, Chair, People’s Organization for Progress
Larry Romsted, Chemistry Professor, Rutgers University
Liam Madden, Iraq War veteran, Board of Directors of Iraq Veterans Against the War
Lou Plummer, Military Families Speak Out
Louis Proyect, Editor, The Unrepentant Marxist, louisproyect. wordpress. com
Marc Herold, Professor of Economic Development, University of New Hampshire
Marion Küpker, International coordinator against nuclear- and uranium weapons of GAAA (gass. org) and DFG-VK, Germany
Mary Hartman - Director of the Institute for Women’s Leadership at Rutgers University
Medea Benjamin, Cofounder, CODEPINK and Global Exchange
Meredyth Friend, New Orleans
Rabbi Michael Lerner, Chair, The Network of Spiritual Progressives (spiritualprogressives. org) and Editor, Tikkun Magazine, tikkun. org
Michael Letwin, Co-Convener, New York City Labor Against the War; Former President, Assn. of Legal aid Attorneys/UAW Local 2325
Michael T. McPhearson, Veterans For Peace National Executive Director
Military Families Speak Out, Essex County Chapter
National Organization for Women of NJ (NOW-NJ)
Natylie Baldwin, Mt. Diablo Peace & Justice Center
New Jersey Peace Action
New Jersey Peace Council
Noam Chomsky, Institute Professor (retired), MIT
Paola Pisi, Professor of Religious Studies (Italy) and Editor of uruknet. info
Phil Gasper, Professor of Philosophy, Notre Dame de Namur University
Rafay Siddiqui, President of the NJ chapter of Iraq Veterans Against the War
Randy Kehler, co-founder and former national coordinator, Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign
Rania Masri, Assistant Professor, University of Balamand, Lebanon
Richard Moser, Author of The New Winter Soldiers: GI and Veteran Dissent During the Vietnam Era. Staff Representative Rutgers AAUP-AFT
S. Brian Willson
Sara Flounders, International Action Center
Scott Ritter
Sharon Smith, author of Subterranean Fire: A History of Working-Class Radicalism in the United States and Women and Socialism; Columnist, Socialist Worker
Sheila Rosenthal and Indiana Peace & Justice Network
Sherry Wolf, International Socialist Review
Sigrid Schmalzer, Assistant Professor, University of Massachusetts/Amherst; member, Northampton Committee to Stop the War
Stan Goff
Stephen Eric Bronner, Professor of Political Science, Rutgers University; Senior Editor of Logos; author of Imagining the Possible: Radical Politics for Conservative Times and Reclaiming the Enlightenment: Toward a Politics of Radical Engagement
Sue Niederer, mother of Lt. Seth Dvorin KIA 2-3-04 and proud supporter of the Rutgers Antiwar events
Sunny Miller, artist and human rights activist
Susan Lees, member of the Greater Boston United for Justice with Peace Coalition
Teresa Vivar, President of Lazos America Unida
Thomas Fasy, M. D., New York City
Todd Chretien, Green Party candidate for U. S. Senate in 2006 (California) and member of International Socialist Organization.
Tom Knoche, Healthcare-NOW
Veterans for Peace 21, N. J
Vickie White, Chair, Central Jersey Chapter of People’s Organization for Progress
Vietnam Veterans Against the War- North Jersey
Ward Reilly, Advisory Board member, “Iraq Veterans Against the War”, VVAW, VFP & veteran activist
William Kramer, Visiting Social Scientist, Rutgers University
William Quigley, Professor of Law, Loyola University New Orleans
Sincerely,
The Undersigned
