Protest organizer Monica Lewis-Patrick holds a Dr. King sign at start of a pro-peace demon-stration against war in Iraq.
Between 30 and 40 people held signs, smiled and waved to passersby on the corner of South Roan and Mountcastle today in Johnson City.
Several of those folks were from my congregation. I met some new friends as well. The event was organized by Monica Lewis-Patrick and Sandra Garrett of "Concerned Citizens Against the War in Iraq." Our presence was met by enthusiastic response. People honked, waved, shouted, offered thumbs up signs, peace signs and smiles.
It was a very different reaction then when I protested when the war began in Billings, MT. Times have changed. More people are realizing that this war was a bad idea.
We had some drummers who chanted "No justice, no peace" and the presence of children reminded us of the future we are creating for them today. The emphasis was pro-troops but anti-war to honor the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as he spoke eloquently against the war in Vietnam, all forms of injustice, and the importance of addressing injustice with non-violent direct action.
Kacie Dingus of TriCities.Com interviewed several folks and wrote a good article Peaceful war protest echoes Dr. King's legacy and conducted some on-camera interviews that you can watch here.
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