About 30 protesters -- members of Students for a Democratic Society, The Raging Grannies and others -- held signs, walked in a circle and shouted, "Out of Iraq, out of our schools! Out of town, shut the war down!"
Property manager Analisa Bellamy, flanked by about five police officers, told the protesters to move to the public sidewalk several yards away on East Franklin Street. After her second request, all but three protesters moved to the sidewalk.
Two of them, Barry Freeman, 80, and Janie Freeman, 71, were charged with second-degree trespass after refusing Bellamy's request that they put their signs down. The couple's 8-by-11-inch signs read "Hands Off My Grandchildren." Stephen J. Woolford, 39, a peace advocate from rural Chatham County, was charged with second-degree trespass. Attila Nemecz, 26, of Raleigh, and Eric Gardner, 22, of Apex, were charged with picketing.About 4 p.m., just before the ribbon cutting, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce pulled out of the ceremony. "Because these planned disruptions undermine the purpose of the Chamber's ribbon cuttings and threaten the safety of Chamber staff and volunteers, the Chamber has decided not to participate in this afternoon's ribbon cutting," Executive Director Aaron Nelson wrote. The chamber holds ribbon cuttings for any members who ask and usually does about 30 a year, according to the statement. In addition to the protests, two government cars parked outside the recruiting station were vandalized with spray painted messages, "Go home!" on one and "Not welcome!" on the other.
Sgt. 1st Class Jason Earl, a recruiter watching the protest Friday, said he shares his experiences in Iraq with potential recruits as a way of "alleviating the fear of the unknown."
"It's very rewarding to help a young person pull together a plan for their future, whether or not it involves joining the Army," he said in an interview.
Veteran Al Meyer, 86, came from his home in Hillsborough to support the new station. "I just wanted to let [the protesters] know there are other people around who don't share their opinion," said Meyer, who served for eight years in the Mighty Eighth Air Corps in England. "There are so many nations that don't like us anymore," he said. "We've got to be strong and take actions people don't like, and make sure we still have a good ol' USA."
I guess college towns everywhere are full of Idiotarians, but North Carolina?