by Agostinho Da Silva
Eugene is no stranger to anti-war sentiment, and the current military strikes in Iran aren’t faring any differently. On March 2, residents joined together to make their voices heard in front of the Wayne Morse Federal Courthouse and show their opposition.
On Monday, people gathered outside the Morse Federal Courthouse in Eugene to protest the ongoing war in Iran. Beginning at 6 pm, people gathered along the intersection of 8th Avenue and Coburg Road to voice their opposition to the ongoing Military strikes by the United States against Iran.
Some held signs with messages like “No new US war in the Middle East”, “America first? You were conned” and “Peace was just another lie,” while others with the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) led chants such as “Israel bombs, US pays, how many kids did you kill today” and “Money for jobs and education, not for bombs and occupation.”
For Shelley Corteville, a veteran and president of the Henry F. Disney Memorial Veterans for Peace Chapter 159, this protest had an even deeper meaning: “So we’re out here, especially as veterans, because we cannot tolerate another frickin’ war. And truthfully, we’re at war all over the place.”
She adds, “Most Americans don’t really understand, whether we have boots on the ground or not, when we’re sending arms to another country, we’re in that war. ”
Corteville explains why she claims U.S. hands aren’t clean, “We made it really OK to go to other countries, and it’s OK to slaughter their people. Well, we’ve made it OK in our country to slaughter Black and brown people for a long time. That’s been pretty OK to do.”
She continues, “When Martin Luther King spoke and he said his ‘I have a dream speech,’ well, we need to come together and we all need to figure out what’s the dream. I’ve been thinking about this a lot. What’s the dream? What is our dream? We all got to get together and figure out what do we want our world to look like?”
For Kaleigh Bronson-Cook with PSL, the message is very clear, “A strong majority of people in the United States do not support intervention, Military intervention in Iran.”
She continues, “Us as the American people need to organize and fight back against this reckless, illegal war that is going to take the lives of so many people in Iran, and many people from the United States, and could develop into a prolonged war in the entire region.”
Bronson-Cook remembers all too well the consequences of the last U.S. military intervention in the Middle East, “This kind of reckless action is something that, unfortunately, we are used to. You know, this is how the United States Empire operates.”
She continues, “I think that most people in the United States would rather their tax dollars be spent on healthcare, housing, education, infrastructure,” she adds, “I mean, I work at the University of Oregon, where we had to lay off a bunch of people. Like, invest that into higher education, invest that into healthcare, invest that into housing programs, social programs.”
“I would encourage folks to join us on Saturday, March 7 for another nationwide day of action, being called for by many big national organizations. Cities and towns all over the country are going to be coming out to demand no new war in the Middle East, no war with Iran.”
As the evening drew to a close, and protesters started to pack up for the night, Corteville wanted to leave with a message of hope for the protesters across the nation standing up to the Federal Government, “Ultimately, I think that we will win. It’s just going to be a very long haul. Then things are going to be different. I hope in a very positive way.”
Learn more about the Henry F. Disney Memorial Veterans for Peace Chapter 159 and the Party for Socialism and Liberation.
