30 March 2003
Dear Mr. Hughes [Editorial Editor, Salem
Statesman-Journal]:
At 4:00 a.m. Sunday morning (3/30/03), a vicious attack
occurred near the west entrance of the State Capitol Building. Michele
Darr, the woman who has been fasting and quietly vigiling there for peace,
and three of her supporters were asleep in sleeping bags when a gang of
swearing, drunken men ripped away the blankets of the sleepers, threw the
sleeping bags down the steps, and attempted to engage Michele and her
friends in a fight.
Michele and her friends, who are totally committed to
non-violence, refused to fight. One friend stood in front of the others,
his arms spread wide open in a gesture of peace. Another called the Salem
police on a cell phone. The attackers were gone when the police arrived.
In the middle of the night before, while the peace
vigilers were sleeping, vandals came and spray-painted the walls of the
Capitol Building near the sleepers. [Ed. note: The
perpetrators actually used paintball guns.] This was apparently an
attempt to discredit the peace vigilers, who would never show disrespect
for the Capitol. (Early every morning, a friend comes to collect the
bedding, while Michele gets hot water from inside the Capitol, and makes
sure that the vigiling area is clean.)
We antiwar protesters denounce any flag-burning or
vandalism, and we always strongly urge all antiwar protesters to remain
peaceful in words and actions. We provide nonviolence training to people
who wish to join us. We try to make sure that our fellow protesters always
show respect for people with opposing views--including those few who yell
obscenities at us.
For the sake of democracy, those who oppose us should show
the same amount of respect. Please let the public know that attacks on
peaceful protesters are attacks on democracy.
Sincerely,
Mary Paladino
This letter reprinted with permission of
the author.
|
