Ashland protests Iraq war

Protesters march along Siskiyou Boulevard, from the Southern Oregon University campus to the plaza, voicing their opinions against the war in Iraq on Saturday afternoon. Photos by Thom Larkin | Daily Tidings

Protesters demonstrated against the Iraq war Saturday at Southern Oregon University.

"I say let the war trials begin," said Sara Doegah, one of the protest organizers. "I was sick of sitting around complaining to my friends. I wanted to do something."

Doegah joined with Scott Michaud and decided to hold a protest.

"This is mainly about awareness," said Michaud. "Not so many people are thinking about this. Maybe it's the lack of a draft, or that it's not their brothers and sisters fighting. Instead of invading other countries, we could be getting together to help causes around the world and right here in this country."

The protest began outside of the Stevenson Union at 2 p.m., with dancing, face-painting and the exchanging of ideas before a group of about 50 marched toward the plaza, picking up approximately 40 more protesters along the way.

One protester, Ron Fishead, in 12-inch spiked dreads, showed up wearing an American flag as a set of bloomers along with a necklace of skulls.

"You can't kill the revolution," he chanted through his megaphone, before addressing issues involving Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Local musician Shiloh Jackson, who participated in the march, had a philosophical view of the war and protest itself.

"The war is a blanket pulled over our eyes to disguise the true situation in America. It's an expensive farce — a big spectacle designed to blind from the inequalities right here," said Jackson. "In a way, the protest actually adds to that spectacle. To be honest, my reactions to this protest are mixed."

From left, Mackenzie Duff, Hannah Edlefsen and Michelle Bellamy join hands for a moment of silence.

According to event organizers the protest had two purposes: to promote peace and bring renewed attention to the ongoing conflict overseas. At 3 p.m., the colorful cacophony — a mixture of SOU students and the surrounding community — made its way downtown.

"I'm choosing to participate, in part, because whenever a large group or crowd gets together to promote and put out love and peace, it really does make a difference," said SOU student Hannah Edlefson. "It always starts from the bottom up."

Veteran voices

The march was also joined by Ray Hanson, a soldier in the Oregon Army National Guard.

"I'm coming along because this war is unconstitutional," said Hanson. "This aggressive invasion is the stuff Nazis do, not the United States. My biggest issue is that it is illegal and we're killing people."

SOU student Karen McClintock maintained a different sort of protest, observing thousands of flags that have been spread across the campus in honor, and reminder, of the massive death toll thus far in the Iraqi conflict — thousands of white flags representing Iraqi deaths, and a spattering of hundreds of red flags among them representing American casualties.

"Vets planted every red flag here," said McClintock. "A lot of people stopping by are vets with the idea that there is a human toll to every war. I want to honor those serving there. I also want to get them home so they need not continue coming home with head injuries and life altering traumas."

The flags, sponsored jointly by the student organization Students for Truth and local community activists, were taken down Sunday evening after a week of display.

"I think that the flags speak for themselves," said protester Claire MacLeaod.

On the Plaza, a chanting group nearly a hundred strong split into two around 4 p.m., with one group continuing to march and the other engaging in a circle of megaphoned expressions of opinions and then broke into other festivities.

"It was really beautiful," said Doegah. "Many people on the road honked or threw us peace signs. Of course, some people didn't. Anytime you share ideas, some people with their own ideas won't agree."

Johnathan Kein uses a megaphone at Lithia Park to voice his opinion about the problems with the war in Iraq Saturday afternoon.

Michaud said his part in organizing and participating in the event was a life lesson.

"Being a student, I learned a lot about what to do and what to do differently in the future," he said.

Doegah, who co-organized the march, plans to run more events such as this in the future.

"For my first attempt at doing something like this, I learned a lot," she said. "I'm really excited by how it turned out. It was a beautiful experience."

Iraq war protesters demonstrate Saturday on the Ashland Plaza. See more photos in the DT PHOTO GALLERY.