Progressives protest for peace
Peace coalition holds vigil, alternative inauguration ball to D.C. festivities
Published Jan. 21, 2005
As President Bush was inaugurated for his second term in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, students, professors and community members gathered at Lowry Mall for a silent vigil at noon and an alternative inaugural ball in the evening.
Participants at the silent vigil held homemade signs and banners demanding an end to the war in Iraq and decrying the death toll of 1,370 U.S. soldiers in the conflict. In addition, protesters remained silent for 30 minutes, then sang a song to break the silence.
Kim Dill, associate director of Mid-Missouri Peaceworks, said the protest consisted of members of the Columbia Peace Coalition. The Coalition comprises 18 smaller organizations.
"With the inauguration we wanted to raise awareness of the past four years and encourage people to ask their politicians to do things differently in the next four years," Dill said.
Sophomore John Emery said, "After seeing the protest, he decided to pick up a sign and join the silent vigil because he believed it was an important cause.
"It shows there is still a large percentage of the population who are displeased with the events that took place," Emery said.
In the evening, the Columbia Peace Coalition held an alternative inauguration ball at the Missouri United Methodist Church.
Terry Folsom, a member of the Columbia Peace Coalition, said organizers' goal was to emphasize the importance of staying involved in activism despite the results of the November presidential election.
"This is such an important event for people who were depressed or despondent with the presidential election results," Folsom said. "It is important to remain active because our voices are needed now more than ever, and we want to show that activism can be fun and a joy to participate in."
The inaugural ball included several bands as well as five speakers who talked about economic justice, the environment and the war, Mid-Missouri Peaceworks spokesman Keith Brekhus said.
"We have a rough four years in front of us, and we will have to try and dig our heels in and fight the radical views at all ends of the government," said Brekhus, a former Green Party candidate for Congress.
Laura Schopp, an assistant professor of health psychology, said she attended the dinner because she believes the number of human causalities in Iraq is too high.
"I'm fed up with an administration who masks themselves as a moral force but will stop at nothing, including torturing and mass murdering," Schopp said.
In addition, Schopp said, she is worried for her children's future and how the administration's actions could affect them.
"If we don't stop the war, the children will get it on both ends of the spectrum," she said. "They will lose social services such as education and health care."