Anti-, Pro-War Forces Rally
Most of the activists opposed the war, though many also expressed support for American military personnel.
Word that war had begun "gave everybody a hit in the stomach," said Cathy Michalec, 43, who took time off work to join other anti-war demonstrators in Seattle. "You feel sick, but I think it's going to mobilize people."
Between 800 and 1,000 Seattle protesters marched downtown from the University of Washington to the north and Seattle Central Community College to the east. The crowd grew during the night to about 2,000 and marched through city streets. Some waved protest signs at passing cars, drawing honks of support.
Along with "No Iraq War," messages included: "Support US Troops. Bring Them Home," "Impeach Bush" and "We Are All Iraqis." One sign depicted President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld with the tops of their heads sliced off and the message: "Empty Warheads Found in Washington."
Some of the marchers were students - from 15 area high schools and seven colleges - cutting class or, in the case of some college students, skipping finals.
"I walked out because I'm totally against this war, and I think we should try to do this in a different way," said Roosevelt High School freshman Lisbeth Unterschute, 14.
She and fellow freshman Jessica Freedman, 14, said they weren't worried about getting in trouble.
"I think a few of the teachers are for this protest," Unterschute said.
"They'd probably like to be here too," Freedman added.
About a dozen students from Nova alternative high school staged a "die-in," lying in the street with black scarves over their eyes and signs identifying them variously as a 3-month-old Iraqi boy, a 4-year-old Iraqi girl, a young American soldier and other likely casualties of the conflict.
In Bellingham, as many as 500 peace activists made their way onto Interstate 5, briefly blocking north- and southbound traffic until state troopers threatened them with arrest.
In Olympia, war protesters briefly forced closure of a downtown bridge Thursday morning as they marched through downtown. Eight protesters chained themselves together on the Fourth Avenue bridge, shutting down the span for about 15 minutes. They were booked into jail and then released.
Later, a half dozen protesters - part of a round-the-clock vigil that began Wednesday at the Capitol - were pepper-sprayed in a confrontation with police. One protester was arrested.
Witnesses said the conflict started when a motorcycle officer tried to move a woman from the middle of a main street near the Capitol. A man attempted to intervene and was grabbed by a second officer.
A crowd of protesters then circled them and began chanting, "Let him go," when one of the officers apparently used pepper spray.
"We were trying to keep things mellow," said Chris VanDaalen of Olympia, who was temporarily blinded by the spray and spoke while pouring water over his face and head. "But when there's a case of police brutality, it's very hard to have a peaceful protest."
Olympia police spokesman Dick Machlan said the officers used the spray to get out of the situation.
East of the Cascades, about 30 people protested the war at downtown Yakima's Millennium Plaza, across the street from the federal courthouse. They held signs with messages that included: "Bush acts like he was appointed by God - instead of the Supreme Court" and "Act without violence." The event was peaceful.
"I feel like our president is isolating us more and more from the rest of the world," said James Thomas, 47, a stay-at-home dad in Yakima. "He's taking us backward from all of the gains we've made since the end of the Cold War."
"I want the rest of the world to know there are still some of us who believe in international diplomacy," said Leni Skarin, 54, a Yakima homemaker and community volunteer.
In Spokane, where fans lined up at the Spokane Arena for the first round of the NCAA basketball tournament, a few protesters held a black sheet bearing a peace sign.
About two dozen people turned out for a support-the-troops rally outside Camp Murray, near Tacoma. The camp serves as Washington National Guard headquarters and the nerve center of the State Emergency Operations Center.
"Unfortunately, many of the troops have received a very negative message through the press," said Claudia Joines of North Bend, who has two sons in the military. "They think that America has turned against them, and we just want to show them that that is not true."
A couple dozen soldiers stopped by thank them, the demonstrators said.
Here is a list of publicized events against the war:
- At noon on Friday, another rally will be held at the downtown Seattle Federal building.
- At 3:30 p.m. Friday, demonstrators plan to march from the Federal Building to Westlake Park for a 4:30 p.m. rally there.
- On Saturday and Sunday, more rallies will be held at the downtown Seattle Federal Building.
- Demonstrators plan to gather at the Federal Building every day for the next week.
We've also heard of various pro-troops rallies and other demonstrations of support for the war effort. The only two we know of for sure -- one was held at 10 a.m. Thursday at Camp Murray near Fort Lewis, another is set for Saturday in Bellevue at the corner of NE 4th and Bellevue Way from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m.
If you know of any other rallies or demonstrations either pro or anti, or any other relevant links, please let us know so we can pass them along.
For More Information:
www.ron-siddell.com
notinourname-seattle.net
nowaragainstiraq.org
snowcoalition.org