2008 Woodie Awards
Protesters stage tax day rally to oppose war funding at UC-Davis
Jessica Mosby--The California Aggie (U. California-Davis)
Issue date: 4/16/03 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
(U-WIRE) DAVIS, Calif. - April 15 meant more than W-2 forms to some University of California at Davis, Calif., students and local residents. On Tuesday afternoon, about 150 people met on the corner of Fifth Street and Pole Line Road to protest the fiscal and human costs of the United States' war with Iraq.
The event, which was sponsored by the Davis Tea Tax Party Coalition, was intended to draw attention to what organizer and UCD sociology lecturer Aimee Shreck called the government's continuous funding of foreign conflicts while simultaneously cutting social programs, particularly education.
"I talk to students whose student fees are going up while there seems to be this endless stream of money to pay for the war," she said.
At the beginning of the protest, there were rumors of possible civil disobedience, but organizer and UCD ecology graduate student Toby Kiers would not confirm any plans.
The Davis Police Department arrived on the scene after UCD student Tim Krupnik climbed a traffic pole and hung an anti-war sign stating "Tax dollars for social welfare not war." The city of Davis prohibits the hanging of signs from street posts.
DPD officers repeatedly asked Krupnik to come down before threatening to arrest him for and illegally hanging a sight and interfering with police -- a charge that could have led to time in jail.
After about 30 minutes, Krupnik climbed down the pole, taking his sign with him.
Police officers then cited Krupnik for hanging the sign from a traffic pole.
Krupnik said he climbed the pole because he opposes the U.S. "making war in foreign countries, while ignoring domestic needs at home." He said he then came down because he felt that people were "shocked enough."
"Our goal was to get the message out, not to make problems for anybody," he said.
He also said that the DPD was "cooperative" and "well-behaved" in comparison to other cities' police departments dealing with anti-war protesters.
Although no arrests were made, DPD officers reported complaints about protesters blocking crosswalks and prohibiting the flow of traffic. After the mention of citations, participants limited their protest to the sidewalk.
Kiers said she helped organize the protest because she wants tax dollars to fund education, health care and housing rather than war.
She cited the anti-war resolution passed by the Davis City Council as an example of the public voice being heard and said the protest was a mechanism to help local citizens "reclaim our voice."
Dissidents were absent for the most part. A few cars yelled at the protesters, and one person running by yelled, "war is necessary," but didn't stop.
The Davis chapter of the group Food Not Bombs served a vegetarian meal, and protesters played music and drums, and recited poetry throughout the event.
The event, which was sponsored by the Davis Tea Tax Party Coalition, was intended to draw attention to what organizer and UCD sociology lecturer Aimee Shreck called the government's continuous funding of foreign conflicts while simultaneously cutting social programs, particularly education.
"I talk to students whose student fees are going up while there seems to be this endless stream of money to pay for the war," she said.
At the beginning of the protest, there were rumors of possible civil disobedience, but organizer and UCD ecology graduate student Toby Kiers would not confirm any plans.
The Davis Police Department arrived on the scene after UCD student Tim Krupnik climbed a traffic pole and hung an anti-war sign stating "Tax dollars for social welfare not war." The city of Davis prohibits the hanging of signs from street posts.
DPD officers repeatedly asked Krupnik to come down before threatening to arrest him for and illegally hanging a sight and interfering with police -- a charge that could have led to time in jail.
After about 30 minutes, Krupnik climbed down the pole, taking his sign with him.
Police officers then cited Krupnik for hanging the sign from a traffic pole.
Krupnik said he climbed the pole because he opposes the U.S. "making war in foreign countries, while ignoring domestic needs at home." He said he then came down because he felt that people were "shocked enough."
"Our goal was to get the message out, not to make problems for anybody," he said.
He also said that the DPD was "cooperative" and "well-behaved" in comparison to other cities' police departments dealing with anti-war protesters.
Although no arrests were made, DPD officers reported complaints about protesters blocking crosswalks and prohibiting the flow of traffic. After the mention of citations, participants limited their protest to the sidewalk.
Kiers said she helped organize the protest because she wants tax dollars to fund education, health care and housing rather than war.
She cited the anti-war resolution passed by the Davis City Council as an example of the public voice being heard and said the protest was a mechanism to help local citizens "reclaim our voice."
Dissidents were absent for the most part. A few cars yelled at the protesters, and one person running by yelled, "war is necessary," but didn't stop.
The Davis chapter of the group Food Not Bombs served a vegetarian meal, and protesters played music and drums, and recited poetry throughout the event.