Lyons Proves Student Activism Alive and Well

Author: Caroline Stauffer

While most Middlebury College students were resting up for mid- terms or doing some last minute cramming, Wellington Lyons '04 had others issues on his mind.
Four days before the attacks on Iraq actually began, war seemed inevitable as Bush announced a 48-hour deadline.
After participating in a candle light vigil in town, which he had helped organize, Lyons was still unfulfilled in his mission to make his opposition to the war in Iraq known before the attacks started.
"Even after all the organizing here at Middlebury, I decided that if I was going to make the most powerful statement possible, I had to be as close as possible to where the decisions were being made," Lyons said.
At 4 a.m. on March 17, Lyons sent an e-mail to his professors stating that he would have to put his academics on hold and would not be present to take his exams. Instead, he would leave first thing in the morning to protest the war in Washington, D.C.
"I must put all energy into preventing blood shed in my name as an American," Lyons said in the e-mail.
At the same time, he also sent an e-mail to the peace list, a list of 100 students who had expressed an interest in participating in rallies, marches and other peace related demonstrations, stating his intentions to travel to D.C. and inviting the students to join him.
While Lyons claims two dozen students expressed an interest in the last-minute trip, only Julia West '06 and Ryan Hisner '06 left with him the week before Spring Break.
Lyons spends approximately 10 hours a week organizing, e-mailing, attending lectures and discussions and working with the New Left on campus. He has also researched ways to protest and has been involved in numerous protests, starting with one in Quebec City his first semester.
When the rhetoric about war in Iraq started picking up this fall, Lyons took action. He was involved in organizing demonstrations in response to White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer's '82 appearance on campus. He also organized protest trips to Washington, D.C. in January and to New York on Feb. 15.
On March 17, Hisner, Lyons and West drove to Baltimore. They took a train to D.C. the next day after Lyon's car broke down.
Tuesday the students participated in a rally in the nation's capital and Wednesday they took part in a demonstration outside the White House with a few hundred other demonstrators.
The vicinity of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue was blocked off, and the closest the demonstrators could get was Lafeyette Park.
"It's interesting to go to a government that is willing to listen to you on paper but will shut you out when you show up in person," West said. "We were basically physically shoved out of a park we had a permit to protest in."
Lyons had brought a sign left over from the Fleischer demonstration at Middlebury that said: "We're not above the U.N."
Not satisfied with the amount of viewing the sign received, Lyons started to climb a tree. As soon as onlookers realized what was happening, policemen started yelling at him to get down.
"There was a ring of police officers and Secret Service agents circling the tree who were telling me that what I was doing was illegal and that I should come down before I hurt myself," Lyons said. "I told them I had climbed trees before . . . Reporters quickly encircled the ring of police, and were able to get shots of the banner facing the White House."
Before he could climb out of reach, an officer jumped up and tore the banner down.
Left alone in the tree, Lyons eventually climbed down and was immediately asked for an identification and handcuffed.
"If I was going to be arrested for expressing my opinion in a peaceful manner, I decided I was going to peacefully refuse cooperation," Lyons said.
He practiced dead weight tactics, attracting more media attention. He also refused to march and was pushed over. Four policemen picked Lyons up and carried him across four fences, ironically moving closer to the White House. He was set down in the middle of Pennsylvania Avenue, where he gave a peace sign to the crowd before being taken to the Federal Park Police Station.
"While I was being carried away, I was able to speak to the cameras of the need to support the international community and of the destabilizing nature of preventive war," Lyons said.
Once at the station, Lyons had all possessions taken. While his application was processed, Lyons reflected on the day's events in the police station. Three hours later, he was released, with a charge for tree climbing and a $50 fine. There is a law that specifically prohibits people from climbing trees within federal parks.
"Watching Wells act on his convictions was a very moving moment," West said.
Lyons believes that his fine is probably among the lowest of the acts of civil disobedience people could be arrested for. For instance, crossing police lines at protests results in a fine of $200.
West, however, had a different take on Lyon's arrest.
"After speaking to locals, no one has had a problem climbing trees before. The issue was not the tree climbing, but what he intended to do in the tree," West said.
Lyons claims that the police involved in his arrest were genuinely friendly, especially compared to his protesting experience in Quebec City two years earlier when tear gas and other such methods were used.
"I was impressed with how the police handled everything," he said. "They were, for the most part respectful, and we [the protesters] were respectful back."
Lyons also pointed out, however, that police have since commenced using rubber bullets against peaceful protesters.
Lyons did succeed in attracting media attention with his arrest. He was D.C. Indy Media's top story for several hours and was on the local 11 p.m. CBS news broadcast.
He believes that he is the first person arrested for civil disobedience in the nation's capital the day the war started, a distinction he is proud of.
Aware that authorities might not be as understanding next time, Lyons watched his conduct throughout the rest of his stay in D.C., but continued to focus on demonstrations and on helping others who had been arrested.
Lyons missed two midterms and a paper for his DC trip, but was allowed to make up everything.
He plans to continue organizing protest events on campus to voice opposition to the war. He currently hopes for a cease fire and for the return of weapons inspectors.
"Overall, D.C. was a very awakening experience. It was oppressive and at the same time incredibly inspirational," West said.
Students interested in anti-war movements can participate in weekly peace vigil's outside Proctor on Wednesdays at 12:15 p.m.. The Addison County Peace Coalition also sponsors gatherings every Saturday at 10:30 a.m. in town.
Middlebury United for Peace and several other groups on campus are also forming a student peace coalition with the University of Vermont and working to create a state-wide, student anti-war network. The state-wide anti-war protest is in Burlington on Saturday, April 19.