Students make a 'shock and awe' statement
A CSUF student activist group falls to the ground as a symbolic gesture
By: Paul Aranda Jr.
Issue date: 4/22/08 Section: News
Students activists gave an unexpected lesson in U.S. foreign policy to students, making their way to and from classes in the Humanities Building on Monday afternoon.
At 12:45 p.m. approximately 15 members of Students for Peace and Social Justice gathered in front of the building and suddenly collapsed to the ground as two other members began to urge confused students to get involved in efforts to end the war in Iraq.
The motionless students on the ground represented both U.S soldiers and Iraqi civilians killed during the five-year-long conflict.
Adriana Cortes, a 19-year-old Cal State University Fullerton political science major, said the demonstration was meant to place a spotlight on an issue the group feels has been placed on the back burner.
"We not only want to bring awareness to the war in Iraq, we want to call students into action," Cortes said.
The group members used their brief 10 minutes of attention to voice their opinions on the beneficiaries and victims of the war.
The members pressed students to take action in order to stop what they called an unjust and illegal war.
One of the members who spoke during the demonstration was Carlos Amador, a 23-year-old CSUF human services major.
The war is unjust not only because it causes innocent people to lose their lives, but also because the soldiers who are sent to war are not provided the proper support they need once they come home, Amador said.
Students exiting and entering the building had looks of confusion over why students were laying motionless on the ground.
The only resemblance of interaction between the group and students came at the the end of the demonstration as members gathered in a circle and chanted "No more war."
A male student shouted back, "More war," drawing several laughs from onlooking students.
The noontime demonstration ended soon after and the courtyard quickly returned to its normal scene of students talking amongst each other as if nothing had ever happened.
At 12:45 p.m. approximately 15 members of Students for Peace and Social Justice gathered in front of the building and suddenly collapsed to the ground as two other members began to urge confused students to get involved in efforts to end the war in Iraq.
The motionless students on the ground represented both U.S soldiers and Iraqi civilians killed during the five-year-long conflict.
Adriana Cortes, a 19-year-old Cal State University Fullerton political science major, said the demonstration was meant to place a spotlight on an issue the group feels has been placed on the back burner.
"We not only want to bring awareness to the war in Iraq, we want to call students into action," Cortes said.
The group members used their brief 10 minutes of attention to voice their opinions on the beneficiaries and victims of the war.
The members pressed students to take action in order to stop what they called an unjust and illegal war.
One of the members who spoke during the demonstration was Carlos Amador, a 23-year-old CSUF human services major.
The war is unjust not only because it causes innocent people to lose their lives, but also because the soldiers who are sent to war are not provided the proper support they need once they come home, Amador said.
Students exiting and entering the building had looks of confusion over why students were laying motionless on the ground.
The only resemblance of interaction between the group and students came at the the end of the demonstration as members gathered in a circle and chanted "No more war."
A male student shouted back, "More war," drawing several laughs from onlooking students.
The noontime demonstration ended soon after and the courtyard quickly returned to its normal scene of students talking amongst each other as if nothing had ever happened.
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