6A - The Michigan Daily - Monday, March 11, 2002 SIX MONTHS LATER 0 Families of Sept. 11 victims unite to protest U.S. retaliation efforts By Shabina S. Khatri Daily Staff Reporter Exactly half a year after the terrorist attacks on America, many people are still at a loss about how to deal with their anguish over deceased family members and friends. But some have decided to put their grief to task by making sure those that died did not lose their lives in vain. September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, a group of about 20 people who lost family members in the attacks, seeks to advocate nonviolent responses to terrorism. Co-Director David Potorti, whose older broth- er worked on the 95th floor of the World Trade Center's North Tower, said the group united under the shared belief that going to war only perpetuates an endless cycle of violence and retaliation. "We all felt we should seek peaceful resolu- tions. We want justice and for the perpetrators of the attacks to be caught - but bombing Afghanistan is not the way to do it," he said. Four of the organization's members traveled to Afghanistan in January to meet the family mem- bers of the innocent victims that died in the U.S. bombing campaign, which began in October. Eva Rupp, who lost her 20-year-old stepsister when United Airlines Flight 93 went down in Pennsylvania, said the trip to Afghanistan really opened her eyes. "It was just amazing the devastation that we saw," she said. "There has been some sort of conflict or war in Kabul for about 23 years. The roads are bombed out and the houses have bullet holes. You see kids playing by signs that say, 'land mines, watch out,' and that upset me." Rita Lasar decided to speak out against the war effort after President Bush mentioned her brother, who died in the World Trade Center, in a public address. "I live in New York and I saw the second plane hit," Lasar said. "Our part of the city went absolutely crazy with grief, terror, horror and sorrow. People can't really imagine how horrible it is. But when I realized (my brother's) death was going to be used to justify the deaths of innocent people, it just horrified me. That's not as bad as my brother dying but almost." The delegation first spoke in January with Afghan people who had lost family members from misguided U.S. bombs. "The civilians we met are wonderful, resilient people who are thankful to our government for get- ting rid of al-Qaida and the Taliban," Lasar said. But Rupp said the situation in Afghanistan was becoming critical. "Everyone we met was very warm, and people who had lost family members themselves in the U.S. bombing campaign said they were sorry for our loss. But a lot expressed desperation because they were hungry and homeless. They were beg- ging in the street and grieving at the same time," Rupp said. Unlike the sympathetic response the surviving family members in America received from their government, Potorti said the Afghans have no network to help them overcome the tragedy they have suffered. Peaceful Tomorrows has met with 25 congres- sional leaders to pass legislation to aid civilian casualties through the Afghan Victims Fund, but Rupp said that financial support has progressed slowly. Potorti said the fund would offer relief to the families of the victims killed by the U.S. air strikes, similar to the aid American families rightly received after the terror attacks. "Their country has been at war for 23 years and they have nothing. We've been affected by this tragedy, but we at least have a country and people can give us money. The fund would rec- ognize the plight of innocent victims and say that the U.S. is not just all about dropping bombs," he said. Though the fledgling organization, which offi- cially announced its inception on Feb. 14, has received criticism for being unpatriotic, Potorti said obeying the law is the best way to honor their fellow American servicemen. "Thousands of people are being detained ille- gally in New York in a clear violation of their rights. And then there are the detainees in Guan- tanamo Bay. I think there's a temptation when people do this horrible act we say, 'they didn't give us due process.' We have to resist the temp- tation to be lawless like the terrorists. Sooner or later our servicemen will be captured and we'll need the law to protect our own people," Potorti said. Lasar said Americans must first examine their, own policies to better understand the tragedy of Sept. 11. "I know we had to do something because my brother died and because lots of innocent people died. I don't know what we should have done. But does anyone feel safer since we started bombing Afghanistan?" she said. a AP PHOTO The skyline of lower Manhattan remains vacant since The World Trade Center towers' destruction Sept. 11, 2001. Amnericans beznz o heal after Sept. 1 Campus securi tmeasures heighten in anticipation of uture terrorist attacks ANNIVERSARY Continued from Page 1A The images were moving for many students and though the city may have moved on, the general feeling around Ground Zero is somber and quiet. "The vibe was different at Ground Zero, a lot more toned down," LSA freshman Lindsey Fackler said. "What moved me wasn't the actual site but everything around it. From where I was standing, I could see the tops of the trees and they were still coated with dust and pieces of fabric from clothing." Some students believed the terrorist attacks had an undoing effect on New York and the rest of the country. "I thought it would bring New York together but it's splitting people apart," LSA senior and New York resident Samantha Brown said. "For example, it's undoing policies for immigrants that have been a long time coming. This patriotism stuff is bullshit." Brown, a member of the Black Stu- dent Union, said the United States is currently spending $200 billion on defense and currently sweeping other important policies under the rug - such as welfare reform and healthcare related issues. In addition, people all over the country are toting the Ameri- can flag as a symbol for everything, she said. "How are we going to protect the people of the United States from the outside when we are falling apart on the inside," Brown asked. University offices and departments were put under pressure after the attacks to provide services or offer educational opportunities, such as classes in the Department of Near Eastern Studies. Due to the subject matters taught in many of the courses, the department received a substantial increase in enrollments for the winter term in many of their courses. According to department statistics, there was increased enrollment in Introduction to Islam, African American Religion Between Christianity and Islam, and The Arab-Israeli Conflict. The enrollment number for Intro to Arabic Literature and Analysis rose from 11 students in the fall to 26 stu- dents in the winter term. The department was also constantly consulted by various local and national news sources because of its experi- enced employees and recognition across the nation. "Interviews with the press became a full-time job for me after September 11th," department chair Alexander Knysh said. Students utilized various University resources soon after the attacks such as Counseling and Psychological Ser- vices. The CAPS office received a sig- nificant increase in clients since Sept. 11, clinical director of CAPS Jim Etzkorn said. "We just provided a space for people to come and talk in a supportive struc- tured environment. It proved helpful for the many students who came and spoke with our counselors 6 6 0 By Jeremy Berkowitz Daily Staff Reporter Six months ago few could imagine that security at a football game could resemble that of a military base. But since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks there has been an increased amount of security at all public buildings and stadiums in Ann Arbor. "We certainly identified what we believed are sen- sitive locations" Ann Arbor Police Department Sgt. Michael Logghe said. The most noticeable changes that University stu- dents have seen in the last six months have been more security measures during football, basketball and hockey games. The first changes occurred at football games at Michigan Stadium after Sept. 11. The Department of Public Safety and the Athletic Department started to prohibit certain items from the stadium and increased the number of security offi- cers at games. "As the season grew, we need to alter that policy and we needed to be able to reduce the items coming in," DPS spokeswoman Diane Brown said. Eventually, this policy became stricter, forbidding any bags and many personal belongings from com- ing in. Security policies have also carried over to hockey and basketball games. DPS and the Athletic Depart- ment have prohibited almost any items from entering Yost and Crisler arenas. The short list of permitted items include purses, diaper bags, seat cushions, cell phones and small cameras. Since September, there has also been a com- plete review of all security issues in residence halls, academic buildings and labs. Brown said that like many other institutions in the nation, the University wanted to make sure it was fit to handle an emergency. One concern dealt with the University's heavy involvement in biomedical research and the anthrax scare that plagued the nation in the fall. But Brown said that the Uni- versity was never in any definite danger. "Did we have a specific threat? ... No," Brown said. It is still uncertain what precautions will be taken for senior commencement at the end of April, but there will be a review of policy and procedure to see what might be implemented next fall. "I hope over time we'll be able to be more trusting in our society but I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon," Logghe said. 0 0 I