Past Actions 2007
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Marching for PEACE...right here in Riverside!
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July 4
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CACP joined with a dozen or so from Near West Citizens for Peace & Justice and marched to mixed reactions from the suburban crowd.
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Sue's message is clear.
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Rachel and Jerry don't hold back how they feel!
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Laurel had this letter published in the Riverside/Brookfield Landmark newspaper.
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Tuesday, July 10, 2007
July 4 parade all about politics
Thanks to all who supported the Near West Citizens for Peace and Justice Fourth of July Peace contingent in the Riverside parade, the scores of folks who clapped and cheered and talked to us and the overwhelming majority who listened. It has been my hope to see a message of peace on every main street of every town in the U.S., starting with my own.
The peace contingent in Evanston's Fourth of July parade drew 150 participants and the one in Oak Park, led by Veterans for Peace, headed their parade. Ours, though smaller, underscores the message on the stickers we passed out: "Peace takes courage."
Riverside is a challenge. It's important we be here, even to take flak from the few folks who don't want to see a message with which they don't agree. Since the invasion of Iraq over four years ago, many have heard nothing but pro-war communication and spin every single day.
Our plea for peace in Iraq was branded as "poison politics" by one, and another called a Veteran for Peace member a "terrorist and traitor." One man argued we should keep "politics out of the Fourth of July" and said we had no right to be there, although the parade was led by two Republican politicians, Tony Peraica and Judy Baar Topinka.
I would argue that there is no holiday more political than the Fourth of July, in that it commemorates the quintessential political act that was the Declaration of Independence. If these "anti's" succeed and stifle our voices, then that attack on freedom of speech will end with everyone's being curtailed.
I'm very optimistic by how our message was received here in Riverside, a town that appreciates that good, old-fashioned values include the rights we hold dear. May we live to see a more peaceful compassionate world. See you next year.
Laurel xxxxxxxxxxxx, Riverside
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Mothers Day Eve Pink Flix House Party
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May 12
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Our hostess, Laurel
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Guests enjoy a pre-viewing potluck
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Patricia and Tony make very different fashion statements |
Desperately Seeking Senator Bayh
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May 4
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Chicago Area CodePINKers Sue and Nina, together with members of NW Indiana Coalition for Peace & Justice, held a vigil outside Senator Bayh's Hammond office. The Democratic Senator from Indiana, in addition to voting for the original authorization to use force and all subsequent war spending requests, has been unwilling to meet with peace activists from around the state for at least the last 2 years.
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Shoes representing the civilian Iraqi dead formed an integral part of the vigil.
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Nina (L) and Sue (R) have been writing, calling, and visiting Bayh's staff for months to have the senator sit down with them and other activists from NW Indiana to discuss war funding. Sue put herself on the line following the vigil, being arrested and briefly detained for refusing to leave after slipping petitions and copies of letters under the senator's closed office door. Their tenacity has paid off: Senator Bayh will meet with them on June 25!
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For local press reports about this group's efforts to meet with Senator Bayh, the vigil, and Sue's arrest , click here and here.
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PINKers Greet Speaker Pelosi in Funeral Black
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May 4
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Speaker Pelosi headlined Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky's annual "Ultimate Women's Power Lunch"--the see-and-be-seen progressive women's event of the year. Chicago Area CodePINK greeted the heavy-hitters as they arrived with a reminder of the funerals taking place due to the continuing occupation of Iraq. We urged Pelosi to stand up to Bush in the face of his veto of the supplemental funding bill--come back to him with NO MORE FUNDING for the war and occupation. Charlene, Judith, Jeanne, and Lorin are pictured with funeareal accoutrements.
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