Demonstrators form human blockades at East Lansing gas station

The (Michigan) State News ^ | 03/13/03 | Mark Hicks

[Numbers Guy]

Lansing Township - Chained to a wheel of a Ford Topaz with a "No War" message spray-painted across its doors, Amy Field sat chanting "They shall go to hell!" "Hopefully, this is the beginning of a worldwide revolution," the East Lansing resident said, amid a throng of more than 30 colorfully dressed anti-war demonstrators carrying black banners and shouting against the roar of Wednesday's rush-hour traffic rolling past the Frandor Shell station on East Saginaw Street.

"This might motivate people to step up and take their responsibility as American citizens."

The protesters - made up of several groups, including Direct Action and People for Positive Social Change - assembled at the gas station to express their opposition against the war and its possible connections to foreign oil purchases.

"We're protesting to save lives," Field said, sitting next to a cardboard sign stating, "Don't Kill Me For A Fill-Up."

Tensions escalated as the sun went down. Protesters formed human chains at each entrance to prevent cars from entering and purchasing gas.

Human biology junior David Mitchell and several others were nearly run over by three vehicles.

"The inconvenience given to people not being able to get gas here is far outweighed by the inconveniences for people in Iraq," Mitchell said. "We're using our responsibility to speak out and show there is a voice within America saying war is not how we want to treat people."

More than a few were upset by the protesters' tactics.

"This is the U.S. We have the right to get gas!" one angry woman cried after being blocked by protesters for more than 15 minutes.

Passengers in a car shouted, "Go home, hippies," as they drove past the gas station entrance.

Williamston resident Jim Murray shouted at the protesters and managed to break through one of the barricades.

"They must be breaking some sort of trespassing laws," he said. "They have a right to protest, but they cross the line when they impede on a person's right to commerce."

Several Lansing Township Police officers arrived at the scene an hour after the protest began. Protesters were eventually forced to leave an entrance open or face arrest.

Penny Lynn, an employee at the Rite-Aid across the street from the gas station, shook her head in disbelief at the ensuing mayhem.

"They have a right to protest, but they're going about it the wrong way," she said.

Field said she would continue protesting to make sure the community know her feelings.

"I'm not leaving until I get arrested or I have to go to the hospital," she said.

Protesters stood at all four entrances of the Frandor Shell station, drumming on buckets proclaiming messages such as "No War" and "Our voices shall be heard."

Several held a black-and-red fabric banner with the message, "Stop The War - Fight The System" emblazoned across the front.

Melissa Wright proudly thrust her spray-painted "Drop Bush Not Bombs" sign high in the bitterly cold evening wind as the chanting picked up pace and cars began honking at her fellow protesters at the gas station entrance.

"This might be the start of World War III," the Lansing Community College student said. "I'm exercising my freedom of speech and my right to peaceably assemble.

"It's my right to be heard, regardless of what President Bush says."

Kathie Kuhn, a People for Positive Social Change member and one of the protest's organizers, held up a sign declaring "Pre-emptive strikes are murder," with several skulls perched beneath the crimson words.

"We're here in support of protesting, and raising awareness of the blood-thirsty military industrial complex that runs off of oil," she said. "We are a majority. There is just no neutral ground at this time when the government is threatening to massacre innocent people."

Interdisciplinary humanities junior Sarah McDonald said any protest or rally should be an integral part of a college student's lifestyle.

"There is apathy on campus," she said. "We get caught up in our own bubble, but there is a lot more going on. We're supporting peace for the whole world."

[Numbers Guy]

I drove by this gas station yesterday, I just figured they were doing the usual "get rush hour people to honk their horns" routine. I saw their rather angry faces and gave them a friendly one-finger salute. I wasn't aware that they were trying to shut down the gas station, otherwise I probably would have stopped by and bought some.

[goldstategop]

Too bad the gas station didn't blow up then. What a spectacular sight it would have been to see human shields going up in flames!

[Illbay]

"Don't kill me for a fill-up?"

Who the h*ll is threatening to kill this kid? (Okay, no wisecracks).

At least during the Vietnam war protests the protestors had some legitimate concern about being drafted to go and fight. These kids have NO such excuse.

This is just lame, lame, LAME.

[Illbay]

...held up a sign declaring "Pre-emptive strikes are murder," with several skulls perched beneath the crimson words.

Laura Ingraham yesterday read part of a column--don't remember the writer--that said that what HAS been "murder" for Iraq has been twelve years of "containment", which is what the insincere Left in this country says we ought to continue.

The point was that during the Gulf war about 30,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and the great majority of them were combatants, with only a few real civilian casualties.

In contrast, during the ensuing 12 years of "containment" about that same number of Iraqis has died each year, from malnutrition or lack of medical care, and the great majority of them have been children and the elderly!

In other words, every single year represents another "Gulf War" worth of deaths for the Iraqis, except that the weakest are the victims.

THE MOST HUMANE THING to do would be to go in, destroy Saddam's regime and end the containment debacle once and for all.

These people don't care about Iraq, and they don't care about the loss of life. They care ONLY about their hatred of Pres. Bush and of conservatives.

This is the legacy of their failure to steal the election in 2000.

[never4get]

She is the living definition of ignorance and hypocrisy all rolled up into one stupid fool....her drop Bush not bombs banner speaks more of her agenda then anything else. The Bush haters just can't help themselves.

[Catspaw]

"They must be breaking some sort of trespassing laws," he said. "They have a right to protest, but they cross the line when they impede on a person's right to commerce."

If the cops took names--and the protesters didn't give fake names--this'd be ripe for a lawsuit, one that names both the organizations and the protesters individually, if the gas station owner didn't consent to their blockade. Everytime they block a business without the owner's consent or block a road (preventing someone from getting to work on time, for example), sue the living feces out of them.

[SouthernFreebird]

Listen to them claiming their 'Rights' .....something the Iraqi people living under Saddam will never have as long as he's in power. That is what these punks want, Saddam still in power .....they kill more Iraqis by supporting Saddam than any bombs we drop will.

[Fraulein]

Passengers in a car shouted, "Go home, hippies," as they drove past the gas station entrance.

LOL!

[laz17]

When will these freaks REALLY cross the line and give local law enforcement no choice but to shoot them down like rabid dogs? When the war begins, will they go absolutely ballistic and start rioting and lashing out at everyone and everything?

[Pete'sWife]

"We get caught up in our own bubble..."

Yup, they're caught up in their own bubble.

[Terry Mross]

My daughter is engaged to a socialist from England. She sent me some anti war crap email and I responded. Seems he took issue with me saying England sat idly by and allowed Hitler to take over most of Europe. She tole me he was angry because "my version" of WWII was wrong. He said the British joined the war against Hitler after he invaded Poland. That's right, I said, After HE INVADED POLAND. She then told me "100's of thousands of British soldiers died" fighting Hitler before the US got into the war. First of all "100's of thousands" of British soldiers didn't die during the whole damn war. My point is these left wing idiots have no idea what they're talking about. And in her little email, at the end, she had to mention that Bush is a bully. They're all ignorant and simply spout what they hear on CNN. She didn't respond when I asked her why she didn't protest when Clinton was bombing the crap out of people. By the way, my daughter was raised by her liberal mother.

It sure is hard to "like" these people even whey they're family.

[the gillman@blacklagoon.com]

..."This might be the start of World War III," ...
The halfwit cried.

World war three was the cold war. It's over.

This is the start of world war four.
It's already on, stupid. Your choice is now to fight and maybe we'll survive or continue being a pinhead and die.

[Alouette]

Wolverine envy (Spartans are jealous that Ann Arbor gets all the leftist nutball attention).

[Tijeras_Slim]

Sorry to hear about your future wanker-in-law.

[randita]

Expect this hysteria to reach an even fevered pitch once the bombs start falling. These people are trying so hard to be relevant but they're just plain ignorant and silly.

[section9]

This is the start of world war four. It's already on, stupid. Your choice is now to fight and maybe we'll survive or continue being a pinhead and die.

The Peace Movement reminds me of Punk Rock, without the genuine emotion and commitment. Punk and its bastard cousin, Rockabilly, both went into the dustbin of history (sadly, disco is still with us...). However, the Peace Movement is far from genuine: the deafening silence of the Left during the Kosova War is usually enough to point out the hypocrisy of the entire effort.

Let's put it this way, any "revolution" that starts in East Lansing is no revolution at all.

Be Seeing You,

Chris

[Dog Gone]

The police didn't do their job here. Responding in an hour isn't acceptable, and negotiating with them to keep one entrance open isn't acceptable. The property owner, the gas station, is entitled to enforcement of trespass laws.

[small voice in the wilderness]

LOL! I, for one, have always feard the East Lansing branch of liberalism and activism! It takes a particularly hard-core group of demonstrators to reject freedom, liberty, and Krispy Kreme Donuts.

[WIladyconservative]

"It's my right to be heard, regardless of what President Bush says."

May be they ought to brush up on the Amendments. They have a right to free speech, but no right to be heard.

[Saundra Duffy]

LOL!