The events of September 11th and the reciprocal state-sponsored violence left few Americans unscathed. The tremendous human loss sparked many feelings of sorrow as well as hate, fear, and anger: the latter three being counterproductive in the struggle for justice.

Members of the Stevens Point Wisconsin Coalition for Peace and Unity recognized this as we set up camp in the campus Sundial on October 1st. Our main objectives were to provide a location for support of the campus and community peace campaigns as well as to promote the message that war is not an acceptable recourse.

The idea of the Peace Camp came out of a return trip from a peace conference, and initially was sponsored by another campus organization, the Progressive Action Organization. In the process of setting up the Peace Camp, we discovered that we needed another organization to deal specifically with war related issues. From this, a group of concerned students, faculty, and community members created the Peace and Unity Coalition.

Due to the wide-ranging philosophies of group members, we have no mission statement. But we have reached consensus on the subsequent points:
1. We denounce the atrocities of Sept. 11 and mourn for the dead.
2. We promote the use of international courts to bring the responsible people to legitimate justice.
3. We believe military actions or war will only increase tensions, hatred and problems in the world.
4. We stand with Arabs and Muslims who have been discriminated against.
5. We caution anti-terrorist legislation that infringe upon our civil liberties.

The initial motivation behind the installation of the peace camp was to educate. We intended to show that alternatives do indeed exist to violent retribution such as utilizing the International Court of Justice and the United Nations Security Council. The peace camp became more than that after a few days. During the day it was a place for students and faculty to meet and discuss and at night it was a literal battleground. It became the center for both peace and violence on campus.

In an effort to educate the campus and larger community, we spoke to everyone who stopped and asked us what we were doing. Many agreed with the alternatives we proposed; however, some did disagree, a few of who did so vehemently. During the day the camp was quiet, but opposition exploded (literally) at night. Every night, without exception, we received constant harassment from cars driving by honking their horns and shouting obscenities and pro-war/nuke slogans. This continued well into the mornings, thus many of the campers did not have the opportunity to sleep.

Cars were not the only source of harassment; many times those passing through the area on foot would stop to assault us with words, fists, or worse. The area we chose was a main thoroughfare for the campus, especially for drunks late at night. On numerous occasions, these drunks told us that we should go home or that the camp itself should be bombed. On one night, one individual who stopped by patriotically exercised his first amendment right to speak and be where ever and whatever he wanted: he chose the middle of our camp. He stayed for two and a half hours, even calling campus security and the police on us, demanding a citation be given for “littering”. It took a direct request by us to one of the officers to force him to leave.

But that was the tamest of occurrences, as one night a Roman Candle type firework was thrown directly into the center of the camp. It exploded approximately four feet from the head of one peace camper; if it had landed facing the other direction it would have ignited the tent and possibly its occupants. The following night, homemade drain-o bombs were ignited and exploded in an area adjacent to the camp. The aggressors ran away after we confronted them, but the fear of loss of limbs and life remained with us for the rest of the week.

On one of the final nights, two individuals in full camouflage and black face paint decided to throw eggs and insults at us. Campus security and the police were called and while they were still doing an investigation of the camp, the same individuals returned, hurling more eggs from their moving vehicle. A six squad car chase ensued, and the eggers were eventually caught in a foot chase.

On the flip side, we received much positive reaction both on and off campus. A few members of the community even camped with us. During the day many students and community members stopped by and donated food, telling us that they were very supportive and impressed with our resolve, perseverance, and stand.

Now that the camp has ended, we are in the process of building a community-wide coalition, as well as organizing events and educational opportunities such as speak outs and information booths. The Peace and Unity Coalition will continue to promote alternatives to war and educate the public as to the illegality, ramifications, and ulterior motives behind the U.S. government’s violent engagement with Afghanistan.

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