The March 5th Student Strike was a great success at the University of Maryland. The action was called by a Strike Committee, consisting primarily of the Maryland Peace Forum, Students and Workers Unite! and the Muslim Students Association. However groups as diverse as the College Greens, the Maryland Food Co-op, College Libertarians, Students For Sensible Drug Policy, the Organization of Arab Students, Earthworks, Women in Black, Muslim Women of Maryland, Environmental Conservation Organization, and the Society of Professional Hispanic Engingineers along with professors Benjamin Barber and visiting lecturer Barbara Ehrenrich officially endorsed the strike.

Form 12:00 to 2:00 PM, students, staff, faculty and parents protesting with the March 5th Student Strike against the war held the University of Maryland campus today. At its peak, the crowd was estimated at 400-500 people in the mall. However, the total number of attendees was probably closer to 700 or 1000 (including all those who came and had to leave).

During the rally, speakers talked about the death of innocent civilians, the implication of Turkish troops in Iraqi Kurdistan, the myth that massive bombing of Baghdad would lead to Iraqi liberation, and the misappropriation of billions of dollars to the military.

This last point was especially well stressed. Students and workers spoke of the connection between the priority of national military spending over education and affirmative action, and the University of Maryland funding new constructions projects and a $100 million dollar arena over paying every worker a living wage and keeping tuition affordable.

Poems and music were offered by many, including a version of "The Revolution Will not Be Televised," original work by Ryan Harvey amond others, and a Jimi Hendrix style version of the "Star Spangled Banner."

After a break to allow Muslim students and faculty to pray, the group began a march around campus that only seemed to grow as it weaved between classes, dorms and offices.

At the end of the march through campus, students stormed Route One and held it for a block as they marched back to the McKeldin Mall, reminding the older people in the crowd of protests in 1970 and 1971.

Coming from the adminstration building, police noticed the rally heading for Route 1 on a small path and attempted to head it off. Protesters, however, waded through several inch deep puddles to scale a small retaining wall to get up to Route One. Police gave up at first, and students took over one lane and in some places two lanes. Then the police started to get people back on the sidewalk (to be fair, they never resorted to pushing people or hitting them with batons).

The rally then crossed the street, and made noise for passing motorists, after several minutes the group headed back toward campus from the sidewalk of route one and almost immediately took the 2 northbound lanes of traffic. Students held the street for several minutes as they walked back to McKeldin Mall, as police decided to give up the street for the 2-3 blocks until there was a good cross-walk.

From there the march headed back to a closing rally on the main mall in front of the library. Although some individuals lobbied for a more confrontational sit-down/lock down in the street, organizers decided that this action was not in line with the comfort level of the crowd at large.

Local and National media were well in attendence, from the campus paper the Diamondback to a local ABC affiliate, from the Washington Post to CSPAN, the Associated Press, and CNN.

The College Park Republicans organized a last minute counter protest that may have climbed to 20 people and including maybe 12 people at once at one point. The Peace group did not seemed to mind, though, except the Republicans' tendency to rip down Committee fliers and replace them with ones that said "Support the Troops - Beat up a War Protestor."

Many of such offending fliers were changed to match the Strike Committee banner "Support the Troops - Bring' em Home."

Later in the Day the underpublicized critical mass bike ride against the war was considered a success this afternoon. Organizers of the Maryland Action Collective! were expecting a low turnout, since many of the most acive individuals had been very active on the Student Strike with Students And Workers Unite! or Maryland Peace Forum.

Nevertheless, the ten or so riders who showed up were very pleased with the protest. A police officer on bike was going to escort the crowd along with a police cruiser, but went home after the group finally reached Route 1.

With signs like "Cyclist Unite," "Bi-cyclist Bisexuals for Peace," and "Honk if you like Bikes" the group proceeded through campus onto route one, then merged onto University Beaulevard (193). From there the group re-entered campus and leisurely spread their message with chants like "Trees, not Bushes. Bikes, not War" and "Bikes Forever, Oil War Never."

The motorists and pedestrians responded very positively, usually able to pass after less than a minute back up and often honking or waving in support.

www.umcp.org