Peace March Video Feb 15 2003

Peace in the Park Video Feb 15 2003

Location: Lohman and Walnut, and Young Park in Las Cruces, NM

 For next Peace Vigil and other events (press here).

This was the Round - Up Photo of the Peace in the Park event Feb 15 - Las Cruces

Article: Hundreds rally in park

Photos below by Lois Wark are for sale as part of PeaceAware Fundraiser - Buy  screen-size photos from "Peace in the Park" 15 Feb event.  We offer 5 by 7 copies in return for a $15 contribution to PeaceAware or an 8 by 10 for a larger contribution ($25), which would cover cost of professional printing plus a donation to PeaceAware. Send email to Lois at lswark@aol.com to place your order. 

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Do not Sit on the Peace Poodle

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Radical Peacenik  - Click for larger photo size 

After the event only the signs remain - CLICK FOR LARGER SIZE 

The Round Up coverage included a Front Page article, with a color photo. 

Compare this to the Sun-News: 

Sun News Photo Page A 4 Feb 16 2003 of Feb 15th Las Cruces - Peace In Park Event. The Caption reads "On Saturday, people gathered at Young Park, in Las Cruces, to demonstrate against war, like thousands across the country."

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Note: The Sun-News did not carry a story of the Las Cruces event; they put the news coverage of 11 million people (they undercount and say thousands in photo caption) around the world asking for peace. The peace movement coverage is relegated to pages 3 and 4. Nothing on the front page about one the most major and important events? The photo next to the one above on Page A4, shows police tear gassing, tackling, then arresting peace marchers in Colorado Springs. The Sun News depicts Peace People as "demonstrators," as "people in "tie-dyes" and "dreadlocks." Sun News was sent a Press Release (Click Here) well before the Las Cruces event. The Sun News photographer showed up on his own, after hearing a report on his scanner. The Sun New is using a typical tactic of the mainstream conservative corporate media. First, they do not cover anything, then they juxtapose images of peace people next to law breakers, show them being harassed by police, then paint the entire peace movement as a bunch of hippies.

Yet, those 200 who were there know that our March and Park event was peaceful, non-violent, even prayerful. We are young and old, of all races, and all hair styles. 

WRITE LETTER TO SUN NEWS EDITOR

SAMPLE

Dear Editor,

Thank you for including our photo on p. 4A of Sun-News Feb 16. As we marched along Lohman Ave. we came to intersections and twice had to cross Lohman Ave. It takes about 10 minutes for a group this size to cross the streets.

Motorists in waiting, honked, shouted 'No War,' and gave us the two finger peace sign. Some gave us the one finger war sign. Either way, the march lasted an hour and we performed our street theatre for thousands of motorists (See Video at www.PeaceAware.com )

There were people as young as 5 and as old as seventy-five marching in our peace parade. When the March for Peace ended at Young Park, we held speak-out, poetry reading, drumming, and theatre until 5PM. People signed lots of Put Democracy Now on KRWG-FM radio, Impeach Bush, and joined our growing discussion list. We are small, but growing. Photos will be up on the web in the next few days at www.PeaceAware.com

Reading the Sun-News on Feb 16 you would think that people who speak for Peace are about to be tear-gassed or that we are the terrorists.

Know this, we are a peaceful and non-violent bunch. We are people of all ages, races, and faiths. 

The Peace in the Park event began with prayers from Rev Ruth and Larry Moorer, Rev. Grady McCollough, and Rev. Sam Ritchey. They encouraged people to attend the Interfaith Symposium at NMSU on March 15th (Flyer).

Invited Speakers included Processor Emeritus Leonard Gambrell who spoke on the "Politics of Fear: United We Stand", Professor David Boje spoke on "From FearAware to PeaceAware" (PeaceAware.com or Click for Talk). Mr. Kevin Bixby of Southwest Environmental Center spoke on "War and the Environment." The New World Drummers played several sets. Poet Tom Wark shared two Peace Poems (see Poems at PeaceAware.com).

Scores of people spoke at open microphone time - including Ray Wilson of the Lincoln County Not in Our Name Committee, Mr. Lightning Heart who encouraged people to put their stories and photos on Indy Media (Click Here), Ryan Jameson invited everyone to the Peace Concert 22 Feb at Court Youth Center (starts 7PM $3 cover), Carol Verplogh read part of Senator Byrd's speech (see PeaceAware Discussion Board item for Byrd Speech), Kathy Kerl spoke on the Power of the Prayer and delivered a powerful prayer, Darlene Cheatham of NMSU Student International Law & Human Rights group spoke about the concerns of American Indians and the Tyranny of the US, Judy Hamon spoke about peace and the New World Drummers, Teba Mohammed shared her stories of being in Iraq in 1991 when her home was bombed, Zechariah Rive spoke on 'True Peace: What it really is,' and the event ending with people joining hands in a circle and singing America the Beautiful (led by Kara Bixby and Alice Johnson-Hales).

The event was organized by PeaceAware, Peace Vigil Committee, Las Cruces Voices for Peace, and Campus Voices for Peace. If you want more information contact www.PeaceAware.com 


David Boje
Vietnam Veteran and PeaceAware.com organizer



Sun News will send you a copy and say "Thanks again for your feedback.
Sincerely       Las Cruces Sun~News"

The Sun-News caption: Colorado Sprints, Colo., police officers arrest an anti-war protester in a parking lot near Palmer Park in Colorado Sprints, Saturday as tear gas hangs in the air, after a rally that drew about 3,000 people. Police arrested an unknown number of protesters, who forced the closure of a half-mile stretch of a major thoroughfare, a police spokesman said.

This is the side by side view in the Sun-News. The Article the Sun-News is copied from the AP wire service.