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Sunday, March 19, 2006
Over 1,000 Join Anti-War Protest in Duke City
By Lloyd Jojola And Julie Medina
Journal Staff Writers
With the same refrain that echoed through Albuquerque three years ago— chants, songs and pleas such as "Stop the War," "Impeach Bush and Cheney," "Give Peace a Chance"— more than 1,000 anti-war protesters marched from the University of New Mexico to Downtown to mark the third anniversary of the start of the Iraq War.
"Why have we created this destruction?" Travis McKenzie, an 18-year-old UNM student, asked in the midst of the long line of people that stretched to the west on Central Avenue. "You still to this day cannot get a good answer. And it's all propaganda when they do give you the (expletive) on the news, in the media."
"The war is inhumane, it's wrong," Mary Moore, 62, said at Robinson Park— the end of the protest march. "There should be other help going over so we can withdraw honorably."
The Albuquerque march coincided with other gatherings held across the country and around the world to mark the anniversary.
In Santa Fe, members of Veterans for Peace and other volunteers installed 1,000 crosses in an open field in front of the College of Santa Fe. Each cross bore the name of a soldier killed in Iraq. Organizers of the event said it was not a protest.
In the Duke City, organizers estimated that more than 1,000 people took part in the demonstration, and they came from all walks of life. From the "Raging Grannies" to middle-aged dads pushing baby strollers, people with dogs, spiked-haired, saggy-jean-wearing teens and a band of bicyclists.
Outside the UNM bookstore, words that read "spying," "fear," "no peace with occupation" and "chicken hawk recruiting" were scrawled on the sidewalk.
From there, the marchers gathered, then launched.
Part-time waitress Mary Kraft of Albuquerque held up a sign, "Bring My Grandson Home Now." He was recruited by the Army while at Eldorado High School. He's been in Iraq for six months.
"I'm doing it (protesting) for everybody," she said. "I think it's just criminal that they have their recruiters all over our high schools. Because at the age of 17 that was not a good decision for him to make."
Signs that read "Bush lied. Thousands died," "These colors don't run ... the world" and "U.S. out of Iraq" bobbed along with the vocal, enthusiastic crowd.
McKenzie, with a djembe drum in hand, ran from point to point along the line of marchers, performing and trying to energize everyone.
"This is the true meaning of America; people out gathering with compassion, gathering with vision, gathering with intent," the East Mountains resident said.
Under Interstate 25, the enhanced acoustics lead to chants of "peace, peace."
Laura Berg, a government employee who was investigated for possible sedition after writing a newspaper letter to the editor criticizing President Bush, was a featured speaker, as was Anthony Garcia, a former Marine who served in Iraq for seven months at the start of the war.
He talked of Iraqi women and children being used as shields and troops being forced shoot them. He said a "little boy" he killed returns to him in his dreams all the time. "He tells me, 'I'm OK,' '' he said.
Kelsey Manning, 16, was waiting at the bus stop to go Downtown to meet two of her friends, when the parade of people carrying anti-war signs walked by. They hollered and waved for her to join the parade.
She changed her afternoon plans, gathered up her friends, Teig Morgan, 16, and Alice Fox, 16, and joined the group that went to Robinson Park at Eighth and Central.