Clad in an orange jumpsuit with a dog leash around his neck, Justin Biggs knelt on the asphalt outside of Dale Hall, a burlap sack covering his head.

Biggs' outfit, intended to protest the treatment of Iraqi prisoners in U.S. custody, drew jeers and scowls from passing students on the South Oval last fall. Two identically dressed students and protesters around Biggs held up signs saying things like: "Drop Bush, not Bombs."

"Go home. You should be ashamed of yourselves," shouted a few students in the crowd that had assembled to watch the protest.

At one point, someone threw a water bottle at Biggs' head. An outraged veteran grabbed hold of his dog leash and yanked it, choking Biggs.

Biggs, a psychology sophomore, is a founding member of one of OU's smallest yet most controversial student groups, Bring Them Home.

More protests planned

As the three-year anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March approaches, Bring Them Home leaders say they will step up their efforts this semester to get students talking about the war.

The group, consisting of about five core members, said it is not discouraged by the negative reactions of many students during the first protest on Nov. 2 last year. More protests are planned for this semester, although the group plans to change some of its tactics, said Ashley Cook, Bring Them Home president and professional writing sophomore.

"I wasn't too surprised by the way people reacted to the first protest. Oklahoma is a very conservative place," Cook said. "But we really didn't mean to offend anyone."

Inspired by wounded vets

Biggs said he was inspired to get involved in anti-war protests after talking with wounded veterans at a candlelight vigil in October on the North Oval for soldiers killed in Iraq. The event attracted many students, as well as Norman residents and veterans from past wars.

People driving by the vigil on Boyd Street honked their horns, some gave thumbs up signs, while others shouted things like "go home" or "they volunteered."

One veteran, an older man in an electric wheel chair with long gray hair stands out in Bigg's mind.

"The man was so grateful to us for standing up for soldiers and recognizing them," Biggs said. "He was crying."

Soon after the vigil, Cook approached Biggs about starting a group to support bringing U.S. troops home.

"We had been talking about it for a while," Cook said. "We picked Nov. 2 to hold our first protest because it was the one-year anniversary of Bush's re-election."

Dissent is a learning process

Cook said she was upset when she talked to some of her friends about the protest a few days later and learned many people thought the group's message was too extreme.

One student whose boyfriend was serving in Iraq began crying at the protest when one of the protesters asked her, "Why are you letting him die?" The incident was widely reported in local newspapers, bringing negative publicity to the group.

"We need to work on getting our peaceful message across, but we learned a lot from the first protest," Cook said. "What we're really interested in this semester is to get people more involved, to get people talking about the war."

Bring Them Home is a moderate group that wants to support U.S. troops, Cook said.

"We don't just want liberals to join us, but Republicans, too," she said. "It's about getting the word out on campus."

"It bothered me that so many people were just walking by the protest or standing there being silent. We hope to get students to care more about the war," Cook said.

Cook and other members look at what worked and what didn't during their first protest in preparation for the next.

"One of our biggest mistakes was reacting to the crowd and fighting back," said Kyle Ellis, former OU student and Bring Them Home member. "Our next protest will be something very peaceful and quiet."

Biggs said the next Bring Them Home protest will probably be a silent sit-in on the South Oval, with no shouting or big anti-war signs.

Support in unexpected places

Reaction to Bring Them Home's first protest wasn't all negative, and the group members said they have been encouraged by some support.

Ellis said his parents, who are both veterans, are proud he is speaking out against the war.

"My mom read about the protest in the paper, and she said, 'That's great, why didn't you tell me you were doing this?'" Ellis said.

And Biggs recalls how an upset Republican student who came to a Bring Them Home meeting after the first protest to challenge the group's beliefs left with a new perspective.

"We explained to him that we support the troops, and by the time he left the meeting, he was on our side," Biggs said.

One OU instructor passed by the group outside Dale Hall as they were preparing to start their protest and promised them she would let her class out early so they could support the group, Biggs said.

Police dispatched to keep an eye on the growing crowd that surrounded the protesters were helpful and supportive, Cook said.

"They let us be heard and really knew what was going on." Cook said. "We were really impressed by the police."
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