Fayetteville Peace March & Rally

“Yes to the Troops, No to the War”

PHOTO: Our headliner, legendary activist-singer Holly Near, shared her voice and experience with us at several points in the program. And one of the high points came when the children who had been at our Kids "Peace Train Station" came to the stage. She led them, and us, in "This Little Light of Mine." (Holly is the big kid at the right.)

This is my recollection of the rally in Fayetteville last Saturday. As one of the people who would be working a table, I arrived about 10 AM. I first pulled into a parking lot just by Rowan Park, and as I pulled in I noticed a group of two dozen or so individuals who looked like bikers. They were dressed in black leather and had patriotic symbols like flags with them. My first thought was that they looked really rough. Immediately after seeing them, a police officer came up to me and said I was in the wrong spot – this was a police parking lot. He told me to turn down the street and go into the first driveway to the park. That was when I noticed that the biker-looking crowd was standing on the street corner outside the park and it became clear that they were part of the counter-protest.

I turned into the park and the police had me stop while they took a police dog around the car twice. I don’t know if this was a bomb-sniffing dog or a drug-sniffing dog – or both – but after a few trips where the dog jumps up to the car (and probably scratched it, but it’s an old car, so I don’t care) they let me go in. Somehow, I got the impression that the cops were hoping for drugs, to make a bust or two. They had no luck.

I went to set up the table and the rally organizers had the music blaring. Good music, but I felt it was much too loud. After setting up and moving my car to the correct parking lot, I walked around and looked at the “Peace Ribbon Project.” One of the peace ribbons I had made two years ago was hanging up, but the other two were missing. I talked to the Code Pink lady who organized this project and she said some of the Peace Ribbons went to Amman with a Code Pink peace group – and the Iraqis there wanted to take the ones commemorating the deaths of Iraqis back to Iraq. She said they were delivered to the hometown listed for the person on the Peace Ribbon. So, it looks like two of my Peace Ribbons are now in Iraq since they commemorated the deaths of Iraqi civilians. More information on the PEACE RIBBON PROJECT HERE.

Others vendors and tablers started arriving at the rally, and soon the people in the Peace March started arriving. I have to admit – I did not see much of the program. And, oddly enough, while the sound was way too loud in the morning, I guess they turned a speaker around because now I could not hear them all that well in the afternoon. I was sitting at a table for Progressive Democrats of America and Progressive Democrats of North Carolina. It seemed that lots of people came up to talk and get information, and to buy IMPEACHMENT bumper stickers and STOP FUNDING WAR bumper stickers. Those two bumper stickers tell you a lot about what the Progressive Democrats of America are focusing on these days. I also had poster boards for people to sign – one was for a petition for ‘OUT OF IRAQ NOW’ and the other one was ‘WELCOME IRAQI REFUGEES TO NC.’ And people did sign those petitions, but not as many as I had hoped.

Meanwhile, the counter-protesters had gotten a hand-held amplifier and did their best to disrupt the program. I think they have the right to a counter protest, but not to intrude on another planned program. There were more police at this one rally in Fayetteville than we have seen at all of Asheville’s Peace Rallies combined for the last five years. And they would not even let anyone from our rally stand near that yellow tape at the edge of the park. The police also searched all the bags of people coming into the park, and made them leave anything dangerous at the bins by the search area. This included a glass bottle with water in it.

MORE PHOTOS OF THE RALLY HERE.

Also, there are two You Tube clips available of the Iraq Veteran’s Against the War speeches. The first speaker says “we need to leave Iraq” and the next speaker (Ricky Closing) said that after seeing abuses in Iraq, he decided that he could not be a part of the US military anymore.

First one is here.

Also posted below.

And the other is here.

Also posted below.

They are well worth watching, because the vets have the best perspective on this occupation of Iraq. In the background of the clips, you can hear the noises from the counter-protestors. The main speaker, Reverend Barber, was loud enough to drown them out.

It was a great rally, and there were no arrests (that I know about) or confrontations. I really question if Fayetteville is the best place to hold a rally – I do think we would get more people if it was held in Raleigh or Durham. I also think the counter-protesters would not bother to show up in another city. On the other hand, holding it in Fayetteville does send a message to the military who are stationed there.

This Saturday, March 24^th, there will be a Peace Rally in Asheville, North Carolina. The theme is “Building Peace” and we will have speakers, poets, musicians and children’s activities. The time is from 2 to 4 PM and the location is in front of City Hall in downtown Asheville. Hope to see you there!