Protestors Taunt Recruits, Vets Outside Enlistment Center

Oct. 27, 2010— -- Sensitive political discussions these days seem to escalate immediately into nasty taunts and insults, drowning out civil debate. But is it the angry few who dominate the conversation, hijacking it from the majority who prefer a calmer discussion?

"What Would You Do?" used hidden cameras to explore a political hot button -- war protestors ganging up on veterans and those who want to enlist -- all of them actually paid actors. Outside a military recruiting office in Stamford, CT, ABC's cameras were rolling as a group of loud war protestors, all hired actors too, chanted, "No More War!" and held up signs with slogans such as "We Are the Terrorists" and "Bring the Troops Home."

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A new recruit, another actor, made his way toward the center to sign up for duty. The protestors immediately began to harass him, calling him "baby killer" and yelling, "This guy wants to kill women and children!" It didn't take long for a lawyer passing by to step in to defend the recruit. In a calm but firm voice he told them, "It's his decision. If anybody wants to enlist in the greatest army in the world, fine. It is honorable and good if that is what he wants to do."

Rather than yell back, the lawyer engaged the protestors peacefully -- even though he strongly disagreed with their viewpoint. In fact, once "What Would You Do?" host John Quinones revealed to him that they were all actors, he said, "I wish it were a real situation, so I would be talking to real-world idiots." Despite feeling they were "out of their minds," he had treated the protestors with respect.

Passing the same protest later on, another man pulled aside the recruit to warn him, "You're not going to change their minds, walk away." He chided the protestors, saying, "You have signs and say 'peace' but you don't seem to be going about it in a peaceful way."

When the protestors didn't back down, he changed tactics, suddenly cursing at them and threatening, "I could take you apart in two seconds …" He quickly made it clear he was just trying to teach them a lesson, saying, "You think that's over the line? I think that's over the line (too). That would be in your face and that would be wrong. Just like you calling him a 'baby killer' is not going to get you where you want to go."

War Protestors Gang Up on Veteran

Next ABC upped the ante on the conflict to see what would happen if the young protestors ganged up on an older veteran. Nick, an actor who happens to be a real veteran himself, approached the protestors and tried to calmly debate them. In response, the protestors followed directions to taunt him as a "war criminal" and to surround him and chant loudly in his face.

Several men walking by soon stepped in, and one told Nick, the actor portraying a veteran, "I don't agree with the war but I support you guys." Another man asked the protestors, "Why are you getting at military men? Politicians, senators, presidents, that's who you're after. You're not after captains, who protect you, come on."

The two men remained cool-headed, but another passerby could barely contain his ire after witnessing the verbal abuse. The man angrily intervened and challenged the protestors, saying, "Is this good, picking on a guy like this?" One protestor responded by saying that Nick was a war criminal, and the man snapped back, "You don't even know what the ---- a war criminal is so shut the ---- up. I'll tell you because I was in the Marines for four years over there so go ---- yourselves, OK?"

He then grabbed one of the protestor's signs and crumpled it up as he stalked away, demanding "Don't pick on an old man! How about talk in a normal tone to him instead of ganging up around the guy?"Later on, the former Marine told "What Would You Do?" that he was upset with the protestors' behavior because, "you can't be a peace lover and bully someone."

War Protestors Become Target of Harassment

Other passersby were also upset at the way Nick, the actor playing a veteran, was treated by the protestors. One man named Aaron came up and asked them to leave Nick alone because "he fought for your right to do this (protest). Have some respect for him." Aaron said he had mixed feelings about various wars, adding, "I completely support your right to do this, but to do it in front of an Army recruitment center I think is really low class. At least support the troops."

Aaron then told Nick, the actor portraying a veteran, that he was a hero, shook his hand and thanked him for his service to the country.

Later on, the protestors were interrupted by Vanessa, who had watched in amazement as Nick was berated. She intervened to let them know that Nick "has the right to his own opinion," and they should leave him alone. Then Vanessa made it clear she felt they were all fighting the wrong battles, saying, "What about your people right here -- black, white, whatever color they may be, that's born here, that's raised here, that live in the US -- where is their help?!"

In explanation, she later lead ABC's cameras to a nearby park where a homeless man was living in a cardboard box. "Look at the (war) that we're fighting here, we're fighting homelessness. We're fighting kids trying to get an education. We have a fight right here that we're losing," Vanessa said.

In a final twist on heated political debate, ABC turned the tables and made the protestors the target of harassment. Two more actors were sent in with instructions to pretend to frighten the protestors into shutting up and leaving town.

Would passersby react differently if the target of the aggression was the anti-war protestors?

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