By Staff
Peace vigils will be held weekly on parkway
By NIKIE MAYO
News Editor
With beach music playing in the distance, a handful of protesters gathered on Stewart Parkway Friday night to say the war in Iraq is costing too much — in lives and in dollars.
Scherer and her colleagues said the “peace vigils” will happen weekly throughout the summer, but that Friday’s was particularly important because it coincided with Music in the Streets. The street festival, organized by Historic Downtown Washington Merchants Association and the Beaufort County Arts Council, draws musicians and crowds downtown one Friday night a month through October. With that in mind, Scherer roamed the waterfront’s boardwalk in her bare feet, handing out peanuts.
Carry a sign that read, “No Blood 4 Oil,” protest organizer Pat Seibert acknowledged that an anti-war message is a tough sell in a military state.
Seibert said she obtained city permits to be able to set up near the waterfront. That setup includes an “Impeach Bush” petition that had garnered about 20 signatures Friday night.
The group will gather on the parkway every Friday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. through the end of August. After that, Seibert and the people gathered with her will regroup if necessary.
Beaufort County resident Lila Chambers said she’s anything but a protester, but that the message of these vigils is an important one.