As the war against Iraq heads into its second week and the fighting intensifies, the local peace movement also continues to grow, as various groups step up the frequency of their rallies and demonstrations. Following Saturday’s weekly peace demonstration near Eastland Mall, several groups met to discuss new strategies, including possible civil disobedience.”We want to do something instead of just sitting at home and watching it (the war) on TV,” said Wally Kluecker, one of the founding members of the Charlotte Coalition for Peace and Justice. “President Bush has thrown away the hope for peace and put our country once again on the dangerous path of war. We think it’s hypocritical that our country should broker peace in the Middle East or any other place in the world as long as we’re starting wars without UN support.”
“This isn’t going to end well regardless of how smoothly or fast they take over Iraq,” says Jibril Hough, another founding member of the Charlotte Coalition for Peace & Justice, as well as a member of the Islamic Center of Charlotte. Hough, a Muslim convert, recently returned from Washington where he participated in demonstrations and protests around the White House.
Other groups, including the Fellowship of Reconciliation, an interfaith peace and justice organization, are organizing future demonstration and rallies, as well as putting together several outreach sub-committees in hopes of getting musicians, poets and various artists involved in the anti-war movement.
“It’s all really sad and disheartening,” says David Dixon, Charlotte coordinator for the Fellowship of Reconciliation. “Fifty percent of the population over there is children. No telling what’s going happen in that region, or in the rest of the world, for that matter. It’s definitely increased the likelihood of terrorist attacks happening here in the US; it’s actually making us less safe. We had a lot of support around the world after 9/11 and that’s been totally shattered. All that good will is gone.”
The Peace and Social Concern Committee, another anti-war group, is also meeting this week to schedule more vigils and prayer groups around Charlotte.
“We’re praying for the leaders on both sides of the war as well as the soldiers and civilians,” says Sheila Bumgarner, who is clerk for the group, as well as a member of the local Quaker organization, Charlotte Friends Meeting. “I don’t think diplomacy failed us, I think we failed diplomacy.”
Anti-war protests and discussion groups are also becoming more commonplace at area colleges, like Winthrop University in Rock Hill and Davidson College, where students and faculty regularly gather around the campus flagpole.
“We hold hands, pray for peace, and express whatever is on our minds,” says Sean Brooks, a 21-year-old junior at Davidson. Brooks says that during one of last week’s vigils, there was a conflict with students who support the war. “They were somewhat confrontational,” Brooks says. “Some of them hurled a few insults our way. Up until now we’ve had a great dialogue on campus. People usually try to keep some level of civility. This was the first incident I can remember of their being any animosity between the two groups.”
Malcolm Campbell, an associate professor of biology at Davidson who leads weekly campus discussion about Iraq, says the overall mood at the college seems to be one of both sadness and concern.
“Not concern in the sense of “are we going to be attacked by terrorists,’ but concern over what do the next 20 or 30 years look like,” Campbell says. “The long-term implications don’t look good.
“The question now is what is the appropriate action we can take to not undermine anybody’s right to life on the battlefield, but at the same time show we disapprove of the war,” Campbell continued. “The best way to support the troops is to bring them home.”
While the peace movement continues to grow locally, Charlottean Stephanie Koch is frustrated by what she says is a general feeling of apathy in Charlotte. Her frustration prompted her to go to New York last weekend, where hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets to protest the war.
“When the war officially began, rallies were to start at 7am the next morning,” Koch said. “I saw fliers for a local group for something like that in Charlotte. So Thursday morning, I went to Trade and Tryon, where this event was to take place, and no one was there. I guess the rain had scared them away. The largest protest to make local news had around 300 people. It bothers me that in a city this large, only 300 people were willing to step out and make their opinions known. And only if the weather was agreeable.”
Upcoming events:
Wednesday, March 26, Peace Vigil, 5-7pm at Marshall Park, 3rd St & S.Davidson St, on the 3rd St side of park in front of the Martin Luther King Jr. statue. Bring signs, candles, etc. There will be interfaith vigils happening at the White House & nationwide on this day.
Saturday, March 29, Peace Rally,12 Noon at Independence Park, 7th St & Hawthorne Ln (parking lot one block up off Hawthorne Ln on Park Dr). There will be many different speakers from the NC peace community, poetry, music, etc.
Saturday, March 29, Statewide NC Peace & Justice Coalition Meeting, 10am-4pm (later if needed) at Wedgewood Baptist Church, 4800 Wedgwood Dr (corner of Tyvola Rd & Wedgewood Dr), in the sanctuary. Peace activists from around the state will gather to plan statewide coordinated actions, etc. We will, of course, take a break from the meeting to attend the rally above.
Every Tuesday and Thursday, Peace Vigil, 4:30pm hosted by St. Peter’s Catholic Church at 507 S. Tryon St. Contact: Ted Frazer, 704-532-6854 or fkassoc@aol.com
Winthrop University will hold weekly peace vigils every Thursday at 6pm on the steps of the Kinard Building. Contact: Mary Keenan keenanm@winthrop.edu
Weekly demonstrations are held every Saturday from 12:30 to 1:30pm in front of Eastland Mall, as well as at the corner of Beatties Ford Rd. and La Salle Street.
This article appears in Mar 26 – Apr 1, 2003.
