|
Arvada - Every Saturday since Feb. 26, people gather at the city's busiest intersection to protest the Iraq war.
Their
message of "Support Our Troops - Bring Them Home Now" draws honks,
cheers, jeers, gestures and, sometimes, discussions from across the
political spectrum. "Boy, do we get reactions," said Pat Gacnik, chairwoman of the Arvada Peace and Justice Commission.
The
group was born in January 2003 after the Colorado Peace Rally in
McIlvoy Park in Arvada to protest the possibility of war in Iraq. But on March 19, 2003, the White House announced
the war had begun. Since then, 1,746 Americans have lost their lives in Iraq.
Commission
members have sponsored a voter-registration drive, protested missile
silos and supported members who built homes for the poor in Mexico and
clean-water supplies in Africa. And from noon to 1 p.m. each Saturday - rain, snow or shine - they gather next to the Home Depot and Costco.
They hoist signs displaying their pro-peace beliefs on all four corners of West 52nd Avenue and Wadsworth Boulevard.
"Maybe it makes people think on Saturdays instead
of just running their errands," said Gacnik, 71, a mother of nine and grandmother of 19.
Several protesters, such as Gacnik and her husband, Frank, have been supporting social and political activism for decades.
Others, such as Barbara Misenti of Wheat Ridge, are just getting involved.
"We
should not be in this war at all," said Misenti, 51, who joined the
vigil for the first time just a few weeks ago. "But I don't know any
other way to be heard other than to write letters." For Betty Goebel, 52, the decision to demonstrate was not
difficult.
"If
you are silent, you are perceived as being sympathetic," she said, "and
I'm absolutely not silent, and I choose to make a statement." Some are in their 70s, some are in their 30s. Some don't come
each week, but all believe the war is wrong and are willing to take a
stand on a street corner in suburbia. Cindy Lowry, a member of the Arvada Peace and Justice
Commission, came up with the idea of holding the vigil "in our own
backyard," where she believes the peace message is as valid as when it
is expressed on the state Capitol steps. "We're really typecast," Gacnik said. "Arvada has this
reputation of being conservative, Republican and reactionary, but
that's totally not true." Area businesses have grown accustomed to the group's presence, and some ignore it all.
"What are they protesting?" asked Kay McKelvey, who works at a nearby bookstore. "I can't read their signs."
Some
passers-by feel the urge to speak to group members, such as Mark
Witherell, 36, of Golden, who said, "I might come out next week." Staff writer Ann Schrader can be reached at 303-278-3217 or aschrader@denverpost.com.
|
RETURN TO TOP
