COUNTERING MILITARY RECRUITMENT
Articles: Counter-Recruitment: General
Protesters arrested at recruiting station
Amber Dulek, Winona Daily News
February 29, 2008
Two war protesters were arrested Thursday morning for blocking andchaining the front door of the local U.S. Army Reserve Recruiting Station.
Winona police arrested Rebecca Murn Lampert, 24, of Winona for
trespassing and later released her. A second adult male refused to
identify himself and remains in custody for trespassing.
The arrests follow two days of demonstrations this week outside the
local recruiting station at 1215 Gilmore Ave. Protesters have
demanded the station be shut down. The recruiters have told them it
wouldn't happen but have allowed their displays outside.
On Monday, several women picketed the station because they objected
to the recruitment of women to "fight the wars of men." Police came
to make the protesters take down a "closed for business" sign taped
to the door.
More protesters rallied Thursday, offering free food and a large
cardboard sign that read, "It will be a great day when schools have
all the money they need and the military has to have a bake sale to
buy bullets."
A protester wearing a cowboy hat who identified himself as Tyler
Rinehardt said their message Thursday was to show how the military's
"coercive and manipulative" recruitment threatens the local economy
and community.
Winona police received a "disturbance" complaint at 8:55 a.m.
Thursday from the recruiting station and arrived to find six
protesters. Four were blocking the front door.
Sgt. 1st Class Gary Lacouture told police two protesters ran up to
the door as he entered work and attempted to place a chain and lock
on the door of the building.
Staff Sgt. Matthew Evans said he warned the protesters that blocking
the door was a fired hazard, but they told him, "This is an illegal
war; therefore, this is an illegal operation."
Lampert and the unidentified male refused to move from their seated
positions in front of the door, according to the police report.
Police removed both without incident.
The recruiters remained unfazed.
"I enjoy people care enough," Evans said. "But we are soldiers in
here. Soldiers execute policy, we don't make it."
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