Members
of UR Veg, the University of Rochester’s Vegetarian Education Group, know that
activism is a tough job with little instant gratification. That’s why public
relations manager and UR sophomore Ryan Merkley isn’t crushed that more crows
were killed this year in Auburn’s crow shoot than ever before.
           “When I heard that 1,000 crows had
been shot [compared with approximately 700 last year], it really got me down,”
Merkley says. Merkley and two other members of UR Veg drove around rural Cayuga
County for five hours recently, searching for crow-hunters to deter. They were
armed with an audiotape looped with a distressed crow’s call.
           The annual event has drawn
protests from several animal rights groups over the years. Four Cornell alumni
were arrested in 2003 for interfering with the hunt.
           But the UR Veg members didn’t find
as much trouble. In the end, the trio only confronted one hunter.
           “It teaches me
what the flaws of our activities were,” Merkley says. “In the future, I think
we’ll find better ways to confront the hunters more directly.”
           UR Veg is used to
adversity. Last year, UR students took issue with the group’s advertising
techniques.
           “I’m all for people saying
whatever they want — I just don’t want them to gross me out into not eating
meat,” UR junior Mark Koenig says. Koenig and a friend put up signs for a spoof
group called UR Carn after they saw a UR Veg-sponsored video of chicken
slaughter being broadcast outside a campus dining center.
           This year, UR Veg has
altered its advertising techniques. Signs now cite members’ reasons for joining
the club.
           Nathan Nobis, a PHD
candidate who co-founded UR Veg two years ago, believes the group has brought
about positive change.
           “In the dining halls
[lately], the words vegan and vegetarian are kind of all over the place,” Nobis
says. “I think the work of some of the members of UR Veg has been instrumental
in that, in terms of getting more food options for people and informing people
about why they want those food options.”
           UR Veg will continue to
spread its message on campus and off, with fliers, potluck dinners, and what
Merkley calls “direct action.”
           Merkley isn’t about to let
one crow shoot get him down. “You have to win your small victories one by one,”
he says.
           For more information,
visit www.urveg.org.
—
Jennifer Weiss
RBTL
gets dogged
Every
spring, the City of Rochester reveals the line-up for its upcoming Rochester MusicFest. The actual
announcement of artists is always preceded by words from Mayor Bill Johnson,
who praises festival organizers — the Rochester Broadway Theatre League and
John Parkhurst — for the wonderful work they’ve done.
           So imagine Parkhurst’s surprise when
the city announced it was replacing RBTL with New York City’s Lead Dog
Marketing to plan this year’s MusicFest.
           RBTL submitted its bid for the 2004
MusicFest, a formality Parkhurst’s all for.
           “The city should be doing that to
see that they get the best bang for the dollar they can,” Parkhurst says. “But
then all of a sudden this group from New York is doing everything.”
           To Parkhurst, it was quite a blow.
           “Well, yeah. I’ve been involved
personally since day one of the festival,” he says. “I went on the first site
search. We have a very dedicated staff [200 people] that worked very hard
towards this event.”
           Lead Dog Marketing is aware of this,
of course, and tried to get Parkhurst on board.
           “Basically, I’ve been in this
position before,” he says. “They come in and want to pick your brain, pay you a
few dollars, and then kick you to the curb.”
           So
Parkhurst said no dice. “It just didn’t make sense for us to be a part of it.”
           “I had a nice conversation with [the
city’s Parks, Recreation, and Human Services Commissioner] Loretta Scott and so
forth, and they told me they wanted to go in a different direction,” Parkhurst
says. “I just felt bad, that we could have been a part of that direction.”
           The mayor’s office did not return
our calls for comment.
Another
download death knell
After
22 years of independently supplying Rochester with music, Fantastic Records will close its doors forever.
           “I just think a lot of the issues
surrounding indie — and non-indie — retail stores hit us in terms of
downloading and burning CDs,” says owner Jeremy Sarachan. “Sales are down quite
a bit and I see the trend continuing.”
           The store will close at the end of
April.
           This recent downward spiral is
widespread, and the mom-and-pops aren’t the only ones being hit hard. Tower
Records, for instance, filed for bankruptcy last week.
           “I think downloading will be the
future,” Sarachan says. “There will be more and more legal ways to do it that
will be reasonable to the customer.”
           And Sarachan isn’t bitter. He’s
rather proud of what he’s done. For his family, it was a good ride.
           “It’s always been in my family for
22 years,” he says. “It was a great thing to have done. And it’s OK now that
we’re moving on.”
Edwards
closes
After
28 years of serving the Rochester community from exclusively downtown
locations, Edwards Restaurant closed
its doors for good on February 17.
           The restaurant relocated to the
historic Jonathan Child House at 35 South Washington Street in May 2002. But
renovations to the historic structure quickly created significant cost
overruns. Those, coupled with the downturn in the local economy, have forced
the restaurant to shut down.
           “We’ve had some excellent runs, some
phenomenal successes,” says co-owner Tom Hackett. “We’ve done everything well.
It’s just because of the cost of operations that we’re forced to make this
move.”
Major
misogyny
Congresswoman
Louise Slaughter wants a full hearing to examine sexual assault in the military.
           Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
has ordered an inquiry into allegations of sexual assault against women serving
in Iraq and Kuwait. According to HoustonChronicle.com, at least 37 female
service members have sought counseling and other assistance for sexual trauma
after returning from duty in those two countries.
           Slaughter, a Democrat, and
Republican Congresswoman Shelly Moore Capito, co-chairs of the Congressional
Caucus for Women’s Issues, have led 37 bipartisan congressional members in
sending a letter calling on the House Armed Services committee to hold a full
committee hearing on the subject.
           “For years, my colleagues and I have
heard terrible stories from female soldiers of sexual assault and rape —
allegations that have largely gone ignored,” Slaughter says. “Our military
women put their lives on the line to defend our nation from our enemies. They
should not have to defend themselves from their fellow soldiers, too.”
           Any meaningful solution, Slaughter
says, must address the underlying causes that have allowed this problem to
persist.
           Traditionally an all-male
institution, the military has a long history of misogyny, says Harry Murray,
sociology professor at Nazareth College.
           The purpose of the military and
military academies, Murray says, is to teach people to commit violent acts.
Doing so does not breed respect, he says, for fellow human beings, male or
female.
           To kill, Murray says, you must learn
to dehumanize the victim. Once you can do that, it is easier to devalue human
life as a whole, he says.
           A January 1994 report of the General
Accounting Office determined that anywhere from 50 to 75 percent of women at
the Naval Academy in Annapolis, the Military Academy in West Point, and the Air
Force Academy in Colorado Springs had experienced various forms of sexual
harassment at least twice a month. The report defined sexual harassment as words,
gestures, or actions with sexual connotations that are unwelcome and tend to
intimidate, alarm, or abuse another person.
Say
no to war again
To
mark the first anniversary of the Bush war, the US-based United for Peace
and Justice organization and other groups are calling for massive
demonstrations on Saturday, March 20. The focus is obviously on ending the US
occupation of Iraq and helping bring real peace to that tragic land. But
organizers also speak of a new worldwide political alignment: a “new
superpower” (international public opposition to war and Bush-style
hegemony) committed to changing the status quo.
           Rochesterians are now organizing bus
caravans to New York City for a demonstration that day, in coordination with
similar demonstrations around the globe. The local lead organization, Metro
Justice, has put out a call for participants. You can reserve a bus seat ($60
round trip; $30 for students and low-income) by sending a check (note
“Bus”) to the Metro Justice office, 167 Flanders Street, Rochester,
14619. Call 325-2560 for more information.
This article appears in Feb 18-24, 2004.
