University of Southern Indiana students and community members are on campus, using their voices to protest the War in Gaza, under the Tuesday midday spring heat.
“Biden, Biden, you can’t hide; we charge you with genocide” is one chant.
They are protesting the US selling weapons to the Israeli government. About $17 billion in military aid was approved for Israel.
Emily Dauphine is a student and an organizer of this informal group.
“We're here just demanding a ceasefire,” she said. “It's making the uncomfortable decision on kind of pushing the USI to actually say something and do something.”
Dauphine said as a D1 school, USI has a larger voice, and power to influence.
This is the mentality of the local Veteran’s for Peace, which has been pushing the Evansville City Council to adopt a Ceasefire Resolution.
Several individuals used their time in public comments at the April 22 meeting to criticize the city for not immediately supporting the resolution.
Thomas Stratton protested the sale of bombs to the Israeli government.
“Our taxes sent not one, but 1,800 of these blockbusters as aid to Netanyahu's regime,” he said, holding a printout of the bomb to show council. “The IDF has dropped an estimated 500 of these on civilian areas already. What messages do we think Gaza has received? We're saying it right now. Even without moving our lips when this council adjourns the carnage we purchase will continue uninterrupted. So let tonight silence beyond the record.”
Bart Heath with Veteran’s for Peace also spoke, though he said he hadn’t planned on it. “Protect your kids,” he said, suggesting that wars abroad, can come to home soil. “And the working class of Ukraine are laying in the fields that their fathers cultivated, fertilizing the ground, and the Palestinian children are lying under the buildings that their forefathers built. I don't know how it's any plainer.”
There is support within the city council to place the resolution on the agenda.
“I will go ahead and say that I'm I'm willing to endorse, I don't know if I can do that or say that,” said At-Large Member Courtney Johnson.
Dauphin knows that such resolutions and protests will of course, not end the fighting in Gaza.
“It's us using our power to influence what our politicians are saying and speaking for us and things like the Senate and the House.”
John O’Leary with Veterans for Peace said there are more than 100 such resolutions passed across the country.
“And so it's like a drip, drip, drip. And at some point, you reach a critical mass where enough voices are raised. And enough, outrage is voiced that it can effect the change in policy and movement toward peace.”
He said it’s also about venting frustration.
As of right now, USI has no official statement. The City Council is waiting on the Veterans for Peace to submit their resolution to make it on the agenda for a vote.
Dauphine said there are no other protests scheduled at this time.
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