Local Calls for an End to the War

“Everyone has a part in what happens in the United States and we must speak to the federal government,” said one pacifist. “We have a collective voice as a city commission to speak about our serious local needs like housing, recreation, youth development.” Local citizens have died as soldiers, said another person. That makes the war a local issue. 

A Vietnam vet spoke about how difficult it is for military people to speak out against the war. Even generals, like four-star General Shinseki, lost his job for speaking out against plans for war. “It’s hard for politicians to say they are wrong,” said the vet, “and it’s hard to call for troops to return because they are afraid of ‘cutting and running’ and being blamed for what’s going on. So it behooves citizens to give politicians some backbone by telling them what we think. What would have happened in Vietnam in 1968 if [Secretary of Defense] McNamara had admitted the war was unwinnable? We had already lost 25,000. He said nothing and 30,000 more lives were lost and three million Vietnamese were killed.” 

“Children need good examples,” said a parent. “Through this war we are teaching them violence, hate, and lies. We need to teach them the right thing. [Commissioners] are responsible to the children of the city.” Another person said, “The easiest thing in the world is to pass the buck. Democracy begins at the bottom, from the grassroots.” 

When it came time for the commissioners’ response, one said he objected to peace activists taking a “You’re either with us or against us” position—a curious charge since that was the same argument President Bush used to set the tone for the post-9/11 era. Another stated that the city had precedents for making resolutions on state and national issues and that maybe the resolution could be supported with more compromising wording. Still another said that while she opposed the war, “it’s not our place” to influence national issues. 

The vice mayor, who has a brother in Baghdad, admitted to being torn by his role as a commissioner and a family member. “We need to encourage our government to have an exit strategy,” he said. “We also need to address how we’re going to redirect federal funds into communities to help communities be successful.” 

Another commissioner, who is a peace and social justice advocate remonstrated against the commissioners’ objections, saying, “Kalamazoo doesn’t exist in a vacuum.” He pointed out that just that night the commission had recognized the efforts of Earth Day organizers who contend that human activity at all levels is destroying the environment and affecting all of the world’s people. Furthermore, the global marketplace has caused thousands of people in the Kalamazoo community to lose their jobs after five paper plants, a national bank, a pharmaceutical company, and one auto plant either closed or moved away. 

“Iraq deeply affects people in this community,” he continued, “and we must take a stand on it—and the financial burden it puts on us…. All that is required for the triumph of evil is silence. Our house is on fire and we need to speak out.” 

K aren Dolan, of Cities for Progress, says that the Kalamazoo city commission experience is typical of the grassroots debate that has been going on since before the war began. Yet, she was excited about the result. “I think it is a very productive and healthy approach to civic participation,” said Dolan. “Typically, citizens feel there is no civic avenue receptive to them other than their city council. The U.S. generally has a very well educated citizenry that understands that we live in a global society in which a war ‘over there’ has direct impacts—in both human and monetary costs—on our own communities and that democracy demands our participation. I think the courage and civic engagement of the citizens and commissioners of Kalamazoo are to be applauded as the kind of patriotism that makes Kalamazoo, the U.S., and the world more decent.” 

On June 6, 2006, Kalamazoo joined 100 other U.S. cities by signing the resolution.