These are the final four profiles in the series
”
10 years, 10 people,
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about local residents affected by the Sept. 11 terrorist
attacks. Also, click below for previous stories on the 10-year
anniversary.
Schedule of ceremonies in San Benito County
Marty: Conspiracies and 9/11
San Martin woman died on flight that hit Pentagon
Remembering fallen soldiers
Editor’s note: These are the final four profiles in the series “10 years, 10 people,” about local residents affected by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. For the other profiles, go here.
Jones took to the streets in support of troops
Hollister’s Marvin Jones doesn’t think the “People for Peace” group opposing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are unpatriotic. They just have different opinions.
Shortly after the anti-war group starting its silent protests on the downtown corner at Fourth and San Benito streets, Jones in 2003 launched his own effort right across the street, as he and others on his side expressed support for the troops with their own signs.
It was a direct response to the People for Peace – or as he calls them, People in Black – in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
“That was the origin, if you will, the origin of the folks in black going out and protesting war,” said Jones, a retired scientist. “I have no problem with that. I don’t have any problem at all.”
He said the pro-troops group responded in particular to the messages on the anti-war side.
“We are no better,” he said, reciting the People for Peace sign. “I think we are. And I think the people in black are better, too.”
He went on: “They’re not unpatriotic. We have different opinions. That’s fine.”
Jones underscored that he hopes the nation continues its aggressive fight against terrorism.
“With all that we have put in, I certainly hope we don’t give it back,” he said.
Peace activist: ‘It’s a very different landscape’
About seven months after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the People for Peace group started meeting on the corner of Fourth and San Benito streets. Natasha Wist was among the organizers and activists involved in the protest group.
About a year after they started meeting each Friday afternoon, the U.S. invaded Iraq – which Wist called a country “that was in no way responsible for the 9/11 attacks.”
“All this has come out now and certainly changed a lot of people’s attitudes toward using preemptive force to solve global problems of peace and war,” said Wist, of Hollister. “It’s a very different landscape we see now. More and more people are saying now what we were saying then, to bring our military down to a reasonable size and bring our war dollars home and start taking care of Main Street instead of Wall Street.”
For Wist, People for Peace was ahead of the curve. After more than nine years of silent protests – where members dressed in black – Wist this year stopped taking part in the weekly tradition.
Still, Wist has strong feelings against the nation’s overseas conflicts. She also thinks there is a lesson from the recent uprisings in the Middle East.
“People on Main Street in the Middle East are taking things into their own hands,” Wist said. “They don’t need us to go bomb and kill their civilians to bring a measure of democracy to their own countries.”
Wist noted that she and others are continuing their activism. She mentioned a book club that meets twice a month. Members are reading John Nichols’ book, “The “S” Word: A Short History of an American Tradition…Socialism.”
“We’re trying to educate ourselves, our friends and our community members politically and culturally so we can make wise decisions instead of unwise decisions,” she said.
Anyone interested in joining the book club can call Wist at (831) 630-1059.
Students were drawn to the fire service
San Benito High School’s career center specialist Sonja Romero remembers the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks on the campus. For a week after, the school made sure there were flags in each classroom. There was a widespread sentiment that “pulled people together.”
She also recalls how the event added motivation for students at the high school to do their patriotic duty, but it wasn’t the military where an increased number of soon-to-be graduates were drawn.
“Originally, what I saw a huge increase in was fire, after 9/11, with fire departments,” she said. “I saw a big interest in becoming a firefighter.”
She said the surge in students seeking careers in the fire service lasted two years after Sept. 11.
She said she remembers that students had related “to what happened in New York, just seeing all the firefighters, what they went through.”
Muslim leader denounces 9/11 attacks
Hamdy Abbass of Hollister is among two area residents who represent the small Muslim community – about 50 families – of active, practicing Muslim residents from south San Jose to Hollister.
He said in the past 10 years they haven’t heard any formal or informal reports of hate crimes, threats or discrimination from a false association of the Muslim religion with the attacks.
The only thing that comes close is a flurry of comments posted to local web sites in response to the South Valley Islamic Center’s efforts to build a community center and mosque in San Martin, Abbass said.
Overall, local Muslims received more support than negativity from the community at large, with plenty of phone calls offering help immediately after the attacks, said Abbass, 58.
Even before the terrorist attacks, the SVIC has always tried to reach out to the local community, to promote a dialogue of understanding among different cultures.
The group has worked with Gavilan College on academic efforts, as Abbass has given lectures on Islamic history for classes at the school.
Plus, the SVIC has hosted a number of local “open house” meetings in south Santa Clara County, inviting the public to join and share their knowledge and understanding.
The SVIC plans to continue conducting such meetings as they proceed with their plans for the Cordoba center in San Martin.
In the bigger picture, the SVIC and the Muslim community as a whole has always denounced the 2001 terrorist attacks, Abbass said.
“A great misconception about 9/11, is that (some) people think Islam is at war,” said Abbass, who is originally from Egypt. “Islam had nothing to do with 9/11.”
