Vets say no to war

In rainy darkness, sleet and snow, Occupy Syracuse marked Veterans Day with a march through downtown Syracuse, N.Y..

More than 70 people chanted past City Hall, the State Office Building and Verizon headquarters, in solidarity with negotiating workers there. The main focus of the march was the impact of the economic crisis and U.S. wars on veterans. One protester’s sign pointed out that 23 percent of U.S. homeless people are veterans. Another sign noted, “Tonight there will be 107,000 homeless veterans in the U.S.” The Veterans for Peace flag flew throughout the march.

One veteran wore her combat fatigues — her name sewn on the front pocket. On the back of her uniform, she had attached a fabric sign reading: “My enemies are not in: Iran, Venezuela, Syria, Palestine, Cuba, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya.”

The protest ended by marching past the Onondaga County War Memorial Auditorium, its walls engraved with sites of U.S. imperialist warfare around the world. People lined up to attend a sporting event there erupted into cheers and joined in the chant, “We are the 99 percent!”

— Report and photo by Minnie Bruce Pratt